Wings of the Butterfly
by Leeko
Summary: Based on the premise that the flutter of a butterfly's wings can ultimately create a typhoon. AU, first two chapters are fairly canon, push past those and the real story begins. If you aren't a fan of Kalulu, give me the chance to change your mind.
1. Awakening

I own no portion of this series.

**A/N: **Just to let you know ahead of time, this chapter will pan out very much like the first episode up to a certain point, and then things take a rather radical turn. This is my very first fic, I hope you enjoy it.

**Awakening**

Lelouch was riding in the side car of his loyal quirky friend, Rivalz. He was returning to school after his routine chess match. He assumed the black pieces as always, they just had a certain suiting to him. Eight minutes and thirty two seconds, that was all it took for him to turn the tide from utter defeat, to astonishing victory. The nobles he played against always had that same look on their face. Granted, the money was definitely worth it, but it was the look on their face, that was the true prize for his gamble. It was the only reason he played against nobility, he didn't need the money, but how he loved crushing the pride of the high horses.

Still he wasn't a man to gloat aloud, merely in his thoughts, which he kept to himself all too well. Currently reading a book as the wind blew through his hair on the highway. Despite the noise he was able to maintain a perfect focus; he always had a knack for tuning out static.

"Hey Lelouch, what was with that first move back there? Why did you start with your king?" Rivalz asked after giving it little thought.

"If a king doesn't lead how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch responded quickly.

This wasn't the only reason, although it did have a certain ring to it. Lelouch's main strategy was to always make the enemy underestimate him. An enemy caught off guard at the first blow was usually met with a second fatal one. The element of surprise is the most vital piece in any battle. At that point you are precisely two and a half moves ahead of the enemy. It will take half a turn to recover from the surprise, another turn to attempt to save the losses and the last to return to a proper striking position. At any point during this time, a second unexpected blow will cripple the enemy. By then, they are so caught up with scrambling to bolster defenses that they fail to make even the simplest of counter attacks. Their mind goes into a state where they simply lose the will to achieve victory… Check Mate.

A blaring honk pulled Lelouch out of his day dream, realizing the large truck behind them, it appeared to be military. It couldn't have been there for very long, because they didn't have time to apply their breaks. It was probably a response to a terrorist attack of some sort.

"Oh god, we're gonna die!" Rivalz squealed as he jerked the bike to the right side to avoid a collision. He squeezed the breaks with all his might as they headed toward the guard rail. They screeched to a halt, although now the breaks were glossed and the power line to the bike was cut. Because of the incredible friction and heat, the breaks no longer grabbed at the tires, they simply slipped when the handle was pulled. There was no way could they drive this thing before they got it fixed.

Lelouch looked out over the highway with adrenaline pumping through his system. He saw the crashed vehicle on the off ramp and examined it momentarily. *This isn't good, if that is military we could be in some serious trouble. Perhaps we could run.* Off to the side a large crowd was gathering like a heard of sheep to gawk at the wreck, taking pictures and calling friends. Lelouch looked back at Rivalz inspecting the bike. *Clearly something is wrong with the bike. Even if we could get away, what if someone could identify us? Damn it! With Clovis calling the shots, we could be facing some jail time. That just won't do, not with Nunnally waiting for me. Best course of action would be to ensure the well being of the driver and passengers. In the worst case scenario it would show compassion for our mistake and possibly lessen tour punishment.* With that thought in mind Lelouch made his way down to the wreck. The trailer was exposed while the cab of the truck was buried in the building.

"Hey are you alright?" Lelouch called. No response. Lelouch spotted a ladder on the side and climbed up still calling out to the people inside.

*Finally, I found you.* A soft voice penetrated his skull, coming from all directions at once, it was a little disorienting.

"What?" Lelouch asked, trying to figure out where that voice was coming from. The top was open, did it come from inside?

The terrorist driver heard someone outside and panicked. He switched gears into reverse and slammed on the gas, quickly pulling the truck out of the building and turning around to see the quickest way to retreat.

With the quick force he wasn't expecting Lelouch was thrown into the back of the truck. It was his turn to panic now, "Stop! I'm in here!"

*Get a hold of yourself Lelouch!* He scolded himself mentally. *Just look for a way out. At the current speed, injuries would be minimal.* He looked around to find only him and a large metal container in the middle of the trailer, but no ladder. "Guess this will have to do, hope it's stable." He sighed as he began to climb up the awkward device.

"Stop the vehicle!" a voice was heard through the loudspeaker behind them.

"That voice?.." Lelouch thought for a moment before coming to the realization that he wasn't an accidental military passenger, he was a terrorist hostage. Apparently they were involved in some kind of chase. *By the sound of it I'd say it's a helicopter, I'll assume that's the only pursuer. After all ground forces would have a longer response time. There's no way that we- what am I thinking 'we'? They, won't be able to outrun anything in this scrap heap... But that doesn't make my situation any better.*

"Surrender now and you'll get the chance to defend yourself in court!" The military shouted, immediately followed by gun fire.

*That wasn't much of a chance.* Lelouch thought. *No, if they wanted hit us they would have. There was little chance to dodge bullets on a highway with such a bulky vehicle; that was a warning shot.*

"Give up now or we'll shoot to kill!" The military continued.

*As predicted, clearly we show no intention of stopping, which means they will retaliate. But how? Escaping at this speed is no longer safe. If I jump now I'd have the choice of breaking my neck or getting shot. No, this has gone on too long, I will be assumed a terrorist if they see my face now. My life is in the hands of these terrorists. I hope they know what they're doing.*

Bullets continued to rain down on the truck, some were penetrating the trailer. Lelouch ducked behind the container, luckily it was strong enough to deflect bullets. Ducking under the container, Lelouch spotted a butterfly trying desperately to escape from a spider web beneath the container. It was trapped; all that it could do was lie in wait until the spider came for its meal. *That's it! If I can trap one of the terrorists..*

"That's what I'm here for!" A crimson haired woman shouted to the driver as she opened a way into the back.

*Perfect, here comes the retaliation. Now's the time to strike, if I can get my hands on her.* Lelouch waited for a moment as the woman, rather a girl for that matter, passed him. By the looks of her small frame he couldn't have been luckier, he actually just might be able to pull this off. She looked incredibly familiar but he could figure that out later. He lunged at her from behind, quickly wrapping his arms around her.

"What the- who the hell are you?" she roared. The girl was much stronger than Lelouch first anticipated, he went to reach an arm around her neck to subdue her but she dug her chin to her chest preventing him from getting a strong hold on her. With that established, she reached up grabbed his wrist and twisted hard. Lelouch had no choice but to follow where she pulled, it felt as if his hand was going to be twisted clean off. With him in front of her she delivered a single kick to the side of his head, dazing him and rendering him unconscious. She didn't even bother to look at him as she hurried to get into her Knightmare.

At this point the ground troops had arrived, multiple Knightmares and more helicopters reinforced the first. Bullets continued to rain down on the truck as several pierced through the cab, some finding their mark in the driver's flesh. He screamed in pain as he swerved down into the subway.

"Damn it!" the red haired woman shouted to the driver. "You couldn't wait ten more seconds? This subway is too small for me to deploy my Knightmare." On the plus side the Britannians couldn't fit theirs in either.

"Report their coordinates! Get some man power in there now!" Jeremiah screamed into his communicator.

"Right away sir," The helicopter pilot responded, punching in the coordinates of the subway to high command.

The driver clutched his chest as he already lost a large amount of blood.

Lelouch started to regain some consciousness after the blow to the head, although moving was a little too difficult at the moment.

"Guess this will have to do," the red head said as she pulled out a rocket launcher from their limited armory. "Just try following us in here!" She shouted in what seemed to be her normal tone, firing the rocket launcher at the mouth of the subway collapsing the entrance before the helicopter could navigate its way inside. "Britannian bastards." She spat out as she dropped her weapon. She rushed back towards the front of the vehicle where the driver was dying. "Are you alright? Say something!"

"I-I'm finished Kallen, this is the end for me. Jus- just promise you'll realize your brother's dr-dream..." His breathing became erratic as his teeth clenched until he felt the release of the grave. His entire body went limp. Kallen smashed the side of the truck with a clenched fist. Her senses were numb from the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Kallen?" Lelouch asked to himself, that name also sounded familiar. Still, this was hardly the time to play guessing games. He looked up and noticed that she was preoccupied in the front of the vehicle. *Now's my chance to escape.* Lelouch pulled himself out of the truck and into the large opening where terrorist vehicle had stopped. Moments after stepping out he found himself staring down the barrel of a Britannian soldier's rifle. "Please don't shoot!" Lelouch begged.

The soldier quickly examined his attire. "A student?" He pressed his comm unit to inform high command that he had the terrorist vehicle in sight. The poison gas chamber was in no more than 50 feet from him. "Hands up, show me your face! What are you doing here?"

Lelouch did as instructed, "I'm not involved in this, I was abducted. You have to believe me!"

The soldier's face tilted for a moment, he recognized the student. "Is that you Lelouch?" The soldier asked, removing his mask. It was Suzaku Kururugi, a long lost friend of Lelouch.

"Suzaku? You became a Britannian soldier?" Lelouch asked surprised. *This is perfect, I can use this to my advantage. With Suzaku on my side, I'll be cleared of everything.* Lelouch smirked.

"Two Britannians, I can kill them both with the explosive in the back of this thing." Kallen spoke softly to herself. As Suzaku came closer to Lelouch she quickly hit the explosives button and ducked for cover. Fortunately, the cab was reinforced with extra armor to survive the blast.

Suzaku heard a slight hiss and a click, two horrifying sounds that he had come to know. "Lelouch!" The soldier screamed as he threw himself in front of his friend. Lelouch had no time to react as the undeniable roar of the explosive knocked him back nearly 10 feet.

Lelouch looked up from the ground, with the wind knocked out of him he tried to scream with only a gasp escaping. He crawled over to Suzaku, his armor was charred and smoking. Suzaku was unconscious from the concussive blast of the bomb. Lelouch could only shed tears over his friend.

Kallen looked out to observe the damage she'd done. It seemed that they weren't quite close enough to the explosive. "Damn it, I'll finish you myself." Kallen grabbed the drivers' side arm and exited the now demolished truck, the mid section was destroyed. Seems like the bomb was meant to explode up not out. That would explain why they survived. "Alright you Britannian scum," Kallen said calmly her aim fixed on the student whose' face was covered by his matted hair. "Stand up and-"

"Freeze!" The military shouted. It seems they arrived just in time.

"Command we've spotted the target, it seems the gas hasn't been released yet."

*Gas, as in toxic gas? Were those terrorists really planning on using it, or was it just a bluff?* Lelouch asked himself.

*Shit, I gotta play my trump card already?* Kallen scolded herself. Her head full of 'if onlys'. She dove to the cab once more, bullets piercing the cab, she reached up quickly and flipped the switch releasing the poison gas. The container hissed and released pressure.

"It's been released, take cover!" The commander shouted.

Lelouch could only look up in horror as the container opened to reveal- a girl? *Did the terrorists take the wrong container? Low probability, more likely it was a bluff. But then how would the military know it was supposed to be a gas? Are the Britannians ones responsible for the creation of this? More likely. Did the terrorists know it wasn't gas? No they couldn't have, otherwise releasing it wouldn't do any good. So it did come from Britannia. Who's the girl?' Lelouch's mind was racing with probabilities and improbabilities.

"A girl? That wasn't what Intel told us, guess I'll have to improvise a bit." Kallen jumped out behind Lelouch and held him up with her side arm to his head. "You're going to let me out of here otherwise this kid goes down with me."

"We've got the target in our sites; take her back alive if possible. Kill the others."

"What? I'm a Britannian, don't shoot! I didn't do anything wrong!" Lelouch pleaded.

"We have no proof of that commoner." The commander stated nonchalantly.

*This is it, I'm stuck. I could tell them I'm royalty but they would never believe me, playing that card this late. Either I get shot by Britannians or by this girl… Goodbye Nunnally, I'm so sorry.* Lelouch made his final preparations and closed his eyes. *I never thought it would end like this.*

Kallen's mind was racing as well. *How did this not work? They'd sacrifice one of their students just to kill me? That doesn't make sense! It's not like I'm infamous or anything!*

*You cannot die here.* This time the voice echoed through both of their minds. As the soldiers let loose their volley of bullets towards them both, the girl trapped in the container suddenly appeared in front of them, taking every bullet to the torso and neck. Kallen's eyes widened as the girl fell limp in front of them both.

*What was that? Did she think they wouldn't just shoot us after she died?* Lelouch's cursed mind continued. He couldn't stop himself if he tried. It was the little anomalies that plagued him so. He simply couldn't grasp why this girl would throw herself in front of two complete strangers at no personal advantage.

"What a pity, seems that the terrorists already killed the target before we were able to neutralize them." the commander shrugged. The soldiers went to reload their fire arms to shoot again.

The limp girl reached out and grabbed Lelouch and Kallen. *You don't want it to end here do you? You appear to have a reason for living. If I grant you power could you go on? I propose a deal, in exchange for this power you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you except its conditions. While living in a world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?*

What was she saying? What did any of that mean? There was no time to weigh pros and cons. Besides, there wasn't any harm in trying now…

"Yes I hereby accept the terms of your contract!" Lelouch replied.

"Yes I agree to the terms of the contract!" Kallen responded.

Suddenly everything made sense, images flashing before them both. Images they'd never seen before, were these memories? Did they belong to the mysterious girl?

They were given a new power now. They understood what it was and in a limited way how to use it. Lelouch stood up with the same arrogance that he's always known. Laughing at the line of soldiers as they were busy reloading.

"Gone insane, have you?" The commander questioned with an arched brow. "No matter, shoot them at once!"

"I Lelouch vi Britannia command you all, die!" The power of the king filled his body and screamed out of his left eye, it was truly a remarkable feeling. The command reached the soldiers and they were doomed. Bound by the limitless power of Geass their bodies were no longer their own to command.

"With pleasure my lord!" They shouted in unison as they raised their firearms to their necks and pulled the trigger. The echo of gunshot was nearly deafening.

A wicked smile crawled across Lelouch's face, he'd done it! All by himself, he single handedly killed all those men. "Yes, now I have all the power I need! Now I am unstoppable!"

Kallen merely looked up at Lelouch. *Who is this guy, what is this power I-we have? Is he my enemy? But he just saved me, he can't be. Only one thing is for certain we cannot remain here.*

"I now have the power to bring Britannia to its knees!" Lelouch spouted with ecstasy as he clenched his fist and raised it above his head. "This nation will fall!"

**AN: **Hope you like it so far, sorry if the thoughts in their head seemed a bit overdone, the characters just didn't really have people to talk to, don't worry it begins to settle. Just need to develop a little before I can start throwing all the fun twists in there ; ) If you have a spare moment I would treasure some feedback.


	2. Testing the waters

I do not own Code Geass.

**A/N: **Greetings faithful readers. I appreciate your continued support on this fic. I've recently gone back over and edited this chapter, please let me know if you find any other mistakes.

**Testing the Waters**

*He doesn't appear to be an enemy, what did he say his name was Lelouch?* Kallen thought to herself as she watched Lelouch bask in his own greatness. *Still...* Kallen raised her fire arm to Lelouch's back. "Don't turn around. I have some questions for you." She said in a cold voice.

*How could I have forgotten about her? I swear I always get caught up in my own victories...* Lelouch glanced over his shoulder, he didn't have eye contact but it displayed confidence. "You're going to shoot me? I just saved our lives." He responded with a smirk. *I bested an entire squad of military personnel and you think I'm going to lose to you? Silly girl.*

"And are you not also the one that attacked me in the truck?" Kallen prodded.

"This is correct, at the time I thought I could trade you for my own protection." Lelouch replied honestly. *No sense in lying yet.*

"So do you truly oppose Britannia, or just saving your own hide?" Kallen asked.

"Both, but believe me when I say I will destroy Britannia for what they have taken from me. With our current state I would say that we're allies." *All I need to do is convince her to trust me for a moment, then I've got her.* "Can I assume you were smart enough to come into battle with more soldiers than just yourself?"

"That's correct, they know where I am now. We are supposed to meet at checkpoint two in five minutes." Kallen said taking her finger off the trigger.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Prince Clovis, it would seem that the target was not recovered." A general reported to the Viceroy.

*This isn't good. Even if she is dead, she won't be for long. I cannot allow her to escape!* Clovis panicked. "Send everyone, that target is a top priority. Take no prisoners; she must be recovered at all costs! Dead or alive I want her here before sunset! Level the ghetto if you have to, leave no stone unturned!"

The general was taken aback by such a drastic measure. "Y-yes sir." He pulled up his monitor on a secure military channel. "Attention all units, our target is in the Shinjuku Ghetto, sending the data now. Dead or alive, find her at all costs, casualties are to be expected, destroy the Ghetto."

"Yes my Lord!" The soldiers unanimously responded.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The sound of heavy artillery incoming could be heard miles away. Kallen's eyes widened in horror. "What are they thinking? You can't besiege a civilian settlement!" She shouted as if the Britannians could hear her.

*Damint. Whatever they are looking for, it's clear they are very adamant about finding it. Nothing is going to stop them, unless-* "Kallen, we have to stop this merciless slaughter. Are you willing to help me save Shinjuku?"

"Depends what's your plan?" Kallen raised a brow.

Lelouch could hear something big coming fast. *A Knightmare? This will do nicely.* "Kallen drop your weapon now!" Lelouch yelled. Kallen could tell by his voice that he was serious and immediately dropped her weapon as he ran behind her holding both of her arms behind her back. "Don't struggle we'll be fine." He whispered into her ear as the Knightmare broke through the wall in front of them, holding a rifle directly at them. "_Hold your fire_!" Lelouch demanded.

Viletta was taken by surprise for a moment. "What position do you think you're in to give me orders?"

*Interesting, it seems that I need eye contact for my power to work.* "I have captured this terrorist spy. She has vital information about the target on her person. In exchange for her I would ask for your protection."

Kallen's heart stopped for a moment. *Oh god, is he really going to try to offer me up to the Britannians? If he does then I have no choice but to use my power. His emotions do seem to have quite a hold on him.*

Viletta pondered for a moment, realizing that he's a student she accepted. She opened her cockpit and stepped onto the wing, with her fire arm ready. "Very well, hand over the girl."

"Of course, but before I do.._ I need you to give me your Knightmare._" Lelouch commanded with the power of the King.

"Right away my Lord, the code is XJ43982." She said with dead words as she handed over her key.

Kallen's heart returned to her chest as Lelouch released her. "Why didn't you just order her to kill herself?" Kallen asked.

"Because, I needed to test my power and its limits. Since I have broken eyesight with her, I now know that I don't need to maintain eye contact for my power to continue working. Now that I know that..._ Die!_" Lelouch ordered Villeta, but she made no response to his command. "Interesting, either a person cannot be under the effect of multiple geass powers at once, or I can only use this power once per person." Clearly he still had a lot to learn about his geass power. "Kallen, can I assume that you're a pilot?" Lelouch asked.

Kallen smirked, "the best."

"Good, then I have no need to go easy on you when you make mistakes. Let's hurry." Lelouch said as he tossed her the key as he went to grab two soldiers' outfits.

"What's with the outfits?" Kallen asked.

"You'll see." Lelouch responded with a trademark smirk.

*Damnit, where does he get off being so damned arrogant?* Kallen thought as she snatched the key from mid air and quickly climbed the Knightmare frame. Granted she had her own but this Knightmare was far superior to her own, this was a Sutherland after all.

*I need to see what she can do first hand and having another geass power with me should prove useful for the battle to get to Clovis.* They both climbed into the cockpit, Lelouch sitting behind her, it was a tight fit but he'd make it work. Stuck right behind her, all he could smell was her shampoo. *My god that's distracting, how am I supposed to lead an army with that damned scent constantly surrounding me?* Lelouch looked down for a moment, only to find that he had a perfect view at her exposed chest. *Kallen, if we die here, I'm blaming you...* He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Alright first thing we need to do is get in touch with your forces and get them prepared. This won't be an easy battle Kallen." He said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Right," she couldn't explain it but his touch was comforting in a strange way. *Why is he so sure of himself? Is he holding more cards than he's showing?* Kallen powered up the Knightmare as it roared to life, everything was operational and she had full response from all systems.

"What channel is your team on?" Lelouch asked with some urgency.

"Channel 204," Kallen responded.

He quickly changed the channel on the communicator, "attention all units. The Britannians have begun to lay siege to the Shinjuku settlement, those of you that are willing to save these people follow my instructions. The checkpoint has been changed to coordinates 54, 38. The train yard, be there as soon as possible." He turned off the communicator for a moment and held it out to her, "Kallen I need you to respond to me."

"Duh, I'm the one driving this thing! Of course I'm going." Kallen replied dumb founded that he would say such a stupid thing.

Lelouch raised a hand to cover his face. He spoke very slowly, his voice becoming tense and frustrated, "**on-the-communicator-Kallen**… It's much easier to fall in line when you aren't the first one to do it." *This woman is going to be the death of me, I just know it.*

"Oh I see," Kallen grabbed the communication unit while flying through the ghetto to the checkpoint. "Attention all units, this is Kallen. With or without your help we are going to save Shinjuku. Me and-" Lelouch ripped the communicator from her hand. "Hey what was that about?" Kallen asked insulted.

"**No one** is to know my name, understood? Obviously, you know my name but I didn't have a choice in the matter." Lelouch said in a cold tone.

"_Oh relax you can trust me_." Kallen said her left eye taking the shape of the geass symbol.

"Of course I can, I trust you with my life Kallen. However, your team, or whoever else is listening to this channel is completely different story." Lelouch said casually.

"What are you talking about? You just said you had no choice in the matter." Kallen questioned.

"I trusted you from the moment I saw you, I don't even know why." He chuckled, "there's just something about you. I can't describe it." Lelouch again responded casually.

"I see." *I think I'm getting the hang of this.*

"Kallen are you still there? Who was that guy?" Ohgi asked.

"Yes I'm here, _everyone you have to trust me_. He knows what he is doing." Kallen said into the communicator, her eye showing the power of the king again. Lelouch pulled the communicator away from her again. *Is it really that much trouble to just ask for the damned thing?* Kallen thought to herself.

"From this point on no names will be stated over this channel, who knows who is listening in on us. Kallen was it? You are Q-1, the rest of you will be given titles at the checkpoint."

"Understood," Ohgi said over the comm. Kallen and Lelouch could hear the others in the background, several were responding as Ohgi was, others were outraged.

Ohgi turned around to face his followers. "This guy sounds serious. If Kallen is with him, then we can trust him. Let's get to the train yard as soon as possible. It's not too far from here." He looked around, some seemed unwilling to follow. "That's an **order**." Ohgi said with a stern voice, the rest of the group fell in line and did as they were told.

*So it appears that I don't need to have eye contact, but why were there people that didn't respond? What is the condition I'm missing?* Kallen asked herself.

"Here you can have the communicator back." Lelouch said handing it up to Kallen.

"No, I don't want it. You hold onto it." Kallen responded with spite.

Lelouch was confused, *was it something I said? What the hell is she mad about now?.. No matter, I don't have time for this.* "Kallen are we still transmitting an IFF signal?" Lelouch asked unable to see from his cramped position.

"Yes, should I turn it off?" Kallen asked.

"No that's perfect. We are guaranteed the element of surprise at the train yard." Lelouch grinned.

They arrived at the train yard well before Ohgi and the others. There were four Knightmare frames looking around the station for the target or any Elevens still alive. Explosions continued to bombard the surrounding area.

*This can't go on, we need to make them focus on us...* "Kallen move 100 meters to the north, on my mark fire slash harkens at the cockpit of two closest enemies, be ready to immediately fire on the back right unit, the left will take longer to respond."

Kallen was surprised, *who knew this kid was a battle strategist? I suppose that's why he's so confident.*

"ETA to checkpoint?" Lelouch asked.

"Less than two minutes." Ohgi replied. *What does this guy have up his sleeve?*

"Kallen are you ready?"

"Yes," Kallen gripped the controls of the Sutherland till her knuckles were white.

"Fire," Lelouch said calmly.

Kallen struck the keypad and quickly launched both of her slash harkens at the cockpits of the two closest enemies; they had no chance of survival. Before the harkens even hit their targets, Kallen already had her hand back on her firing lever. With a rattle of bullets the third Knightmare was forced to eject. The fourth was turning around as Kallen charged, switching out her melee blade, she crushed right through the last Sutherlands torso, ripping upward. Kallen quickly back-pedaled as the unit exploded right in front of them.

"Kill the IFF signal now." Lelouch commanded. Kallen did as she was told and dropped the signal, making it appear that her unit was lost as well.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"My Lord we just lost five Sutherlands in the train yard. All in a matter of moments." The general stated shocked at the map.

"What? A terrorist attack? What force could they muster? Send Beta squad to inspect." Clovis said, drawing his index finger and thumb down his jaw line.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ohgi and the others arrived, only to find a single Sutherland amongst a cloud of smoke. "Take cover, quick!"

"B-1 do not be alarmed the unit you see is Kallen's, quickly get the cargo from the train on the 4th set of tracks, inside you'll find the weapons necessary for our victory." Lelouch said into the com unit.

"Understood." Ohgi stated.

The terrorists quickly opened up the cargo and retrieved the enemy Sutherlands. "This is amazing, just look at all of these!" Tamaki shouted jumping into the cockpit quickly. "This guy's the man!"

After assigning everyone their unit group and name, Lelouch looked down and was able to see the energy filler level for Kallen's unit. *74%, that's plenty. They have nearly 40 units on the grid. No reinforcements in the vicinity. Clovis must be to the far North. After this squad is destroyed they will send at least 60% of their remaining units to this point, hopefully more. We can hold the line for the first few waves but we'll need to use something else to be able to stand against the remaining forces.* Lelouch looked around at the buildings, *don't have the firepower to make these effective...* He turned to the right and saw a subway entrance and smirked. "Alright their next squad will be here any minute. Take up your assigned positions and wait till they pass. After they've passed you, commence your barrage. Since your units have no IFF signals you will be virtually invisible on radar for our first move. After the first wave is down go to checkpoint two and await my instructions." Lelouch turned off the communicator, "Kallen it is imperative that we aren't involved in this attack. We must make our way to Clovis. With their primary forces occupied we will call check."

"Are you sure? You don't think they will need us here?" Kallen asked concerned for her comrades.

"No, they will be fine, as long as they do what I tell them. I suspect we will suffer no losses. But that all depends on whether we can execute this attack, we'll be alone fighting whatever resistance they have left. Can you handle that?"

"No problem, just leave them to me." Kallen replied cocky as ever, she sped off full throttle towards the left flank, as the Britannians approached from the right flank.

"Good it seems I didn't misplace my confidence in you, Q-1" Lelouch said changing his position to see the enemies' location. "P group prepare to attack, contact in 10 seconds."

Right on time, the beta group reached the designated area. P group quickly encircled them and opened fire. Beta group had six units in it but the P group only had four units. Even with the element of surprise they were no match for trained soldiers.

"R-1, R-2, support from above. B-1, close in on the weak side." Lelouch commanded as he watched the battle play out on the screen.

*As expected the enemy would turn and immediately underestimate the P group, lowering their guard for the attack from Rooks one and two from their elevated position in the adjacent buildings. The Bishop was just to ensure no unit was lost.* "Quickly all units, report to checkpoint two! Do nothing until I give the order."

"Hell friggin' yea!" Tamaki shouted into the comm.

Kallen and Lelouch made their way quickly to the enemy stronghold area. "Hold here for 40 seconds." Lelouch stated calmly, the enemy base was nearly in sight.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Viceroy they've taken out beta squad!" The general reported.

"What? Who are we dealing with here?" *Could this be the work of Todoh?* Clovis thought to himself. "Send all squads, save Jeremiah's, into the combat zone. We must destroy the enemy!" Clovis demanded.

"My Lord, that would break our defensive line!" The general advised.

"They aren't going to be able to strike us here general; their numbers can't be that great. We are dealing with a small group, better to crush them immediately." Clovis said with complete certainty.

"Understood Viceroy." The general hung his head for a moment. "All squads report to the coordinates 54, 38. Save your group Jeremiah, you are to remain here to protect the Viceroy."

"Yes my lord."

Jeremiah looked at his assigned unit. *They are only leaving me with three Sutherlands? What could you be thinking, Your Highness?* He thought to himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lelouch watched as most of the military moved out to focus on the train yard. He couldn't help himself from laughing, "You see Clovis? Just like the rest of the nobles, you let your pride get the best of you. That is what guaranteed my victory."

Kallen looked up at him, "got a thing against nobles do you?"

"They take lives for granted, they are ill fit to lead and they are incompetent."

"I'll take that as a yes." Kallen shrugged.

"We need to give them a little more time before we attack, or else they will simply turn around and this entire operation will be a failure." Lelouch said patiently.

"So we have some time to kill, what's with the group names? Why am I Q-1?" Kallen asked curiously.

"It's a reference to chess pieces. P group are the pawns, expendable but necessary, they form the defensive line. R group are the rooks, I prefer them to be artillery units. B group being the bishops, they are my melee units. I would have an N group but I have yet to find a unit useful enough to earn the title of knight." Lelouch responded honestly.

"So if I'm Q, does that make me your queen?" Kallen asked, surprised to find herself blushing slightly. *What am I saying? I don't care to be his queen! No, I'm just curious is all.* Kallen told herself sternly.

"Yes, that is correct." Lelouch said watching the units on the map nearing the train yard.

"So what does that mean?" Kallen asked, trying to fight off the color that threatened to flush her cheeks.

"You're the one piece I can't lose." Lelouch stated still distracted by the enemy units.

*What does he mean by that? Why does he have to talk in such riddles?... I hate him!* Kallen pouted.

"Q-1 the enemy force is far enough away now, on my signal launch an explosive at the enemy unit then feint behind the building you are currently standing by. When they come to inspect, you'll have to take out the remaining three units. They will be prepared for you this time though, don't expect an easy fight."

"I understand." Kallen said into the communicator as she readied her explosive charge.

"All units, prepare to fire slash harkens at the ceiling on my signal. After they are connected to the platform above you, ready your fire arms and cave it in. Hold that position until the battle is won. This battle will go down in history men, by our actions we will be immortalized!" Lelouch said rallying his forces.

"All right we'll do this for all the Japanese that lost their lives today!" Ohgi replied.

"You're all gonna die stinkin' Britannian ass holes!" Tamaki cheered.

"Attack!" Lelouch bellowed.

Kallen launched her explosive, successfully taking out the unit on the far left, as they spotted her she ducked back behind the building. The P group shot their harkens into the ceiling, as the R and B groups readied their rifles. The ceiling gave way and a dozen units fell into the subway bellow, they were caught in a 160 degree cross fire and were destroyed quickly.

Jeremiah gave the order to attack as his two followers went to surround the building Kallen hid behind.

"We're getting blasted with explosives!" Tamaki yelped into the com unit.

"Brace yourselves and pull them to you with your harkens, it's imperative that you don't leave that position!" Lelouch shouted back as gunfire began to rain down upon him. "Q-1, activate your IFF signal now! Do not come back into line of sight with the enemy base until this battle is over." Kallen did as she was told quickly flipping the signal trying her best to evade the enemy fire and return some of her own.

"Energy fillers are dropping!" she shouted to Lelouch.

"Don't worry about that, clear the task at hand." Lelouch responded.

Kallen strafed the enemy fire back behind another building and readied her melee arm.

"You think you can defeat Jeremiah Gottwald? Coward!" Jeremiah shouted on an open local channel.

One of his supporting units came around the building right in front of Kallen and she was able to cleave it in half. The second unit came from behind her and unleashed a volley of bullets into the left arm of her Sutherland, destroying it. Kallen was becoming desperate as she spun around quickly and fired towards the enemies head, knowing it was a gamble to shoot at such a small target. Jeremiah suddenly appeared behind her, ready to deliver a finishing blow.

"You don't know who you're messing with pal. I am the Red Lotus,_ tremble before me_!" Kallen cried out over the local channel her left eye shining a glorious magenta.

"The Red Lotus? I've got to get out of here!" Jeremiah screamed in terror as he turned around to flee.

"Lord Jeremiah! Where are you goin-ahhh" his soldier cried out as his Sutherland was destroyed by Kallen's gunfire.

"Quickly, follow Jeremiah back to the base. With our IFF signal on they won't be able to discern us from friend or foe. My geass will do the rest of the work from here." Lelouch smiled wickedly.

"We can't hold out much longer! There's just too many of em!" Ohgi yelled into the communicator.

"Lelouch, we have to go back to help them!" Kallen said, preparing to turn around.

"STOP! We stick to the plan." Lelouch bellowed, before softening quickly. "Do not fear, Kallen. They will be safe, trust me. Now it's time for the uniforms. Put this on."

"You want me to change right in front of you?" Kallen asked, hesitant to undress.

"Are you seriously going to argue with me right now?" Lelouch asked, his eyes filled with frustration and rage once more. He was already undressed down to his boxers, quickly putting the soldier's garments on.

*I can't believe he is going to be the first guy to ever see me in my underwear...* Kallen sobbed in her mind, trying to undress and get covered up as quickly as possible.

Lelouch was ready to go and was able to catch a glimpse of Kallen as she pulled on the rest of the outfit.

*How can she fight in that lacey stuff?* He thought to himself. *I should have gotten dressed quicker, I could've - Snap out of it Lelouch!* He slapped himself, luckily without Kallen noticing. "All units prepare to pursue."

"Pursue what? We're friggin' fish bait down here!" Tamaki shouted back.

Within moments they were inside thanks to Lelouch's geass power. Jeremiah had fled the battlefield, confusing the main base long enough for them to take advantage of the situation.

"All units cease fire and return to base immediately!" Clovis demanded. "I repeat all units return to me at once! That's an order!" The enemy units did as they were told and ceased fire, dashing at full speed back towards the main base.

"Huh?" Tamaki asked, baffled.

"Don't just sit there, pursue the enemy. Take as many down as you can while their backs are exposed! There should only be about a dozen remaining." Ohgi commanded.

"Is that satisfactory?" Clovis asked.

"Quite." Lelouch said closing in on the Viceroy, fire arm aimed at his head. "_Now tell me who killed my mother?_"

"Princess Cornelia and Prince Schneizel were assigned to her care that night." Clovis said without emotion.

"Who killed her?" Lelouch repeated.

Clovis said nothing.

"Damnit! That's all the information I could squeeze out of him? How worthless you've become, dear brother..." Lelouch shook his head and pulled the trigger.

**A/N: **Alrighty, next chapter down, I'm sure there are some questions about Kallen's geass power. Fear not I'll explain further in the coming updates ; ) Thank you for reading and as always, I'd treasure a review : )


	3. Appearances

**A/N: Alrighty, first and foremost I own no portion of this series, but if you do PM, well talk ;) Next Thank You for all the reviews, as a reward you will be forever immortalized in my work :D Thanks goes out to: Edwiddlem, S7K, Worker72, Srgnt Drew, angelicaxp, Darth Lelouch, KillerSpoon13, Fig-San, Snakeboy33, Sky Zephyrus and Kalulu22. Thank you all for reading, I hope to keep you entertained for a while longer : )**

Appearances

It was only a day after the assassination and yet no change was evident as of yet.

*Do they really think they can hide Clovis' death from the public?* Lelouch thought to himself entering the lush courtyard of Ashford Academy.

It was spring, everything had only just begun to bloom. The scent of fresh cut grass and newly formed flowers engulfed the area. The scent was only broken by the wave of body sprays and expensive perfumes when groups of girls passed by him. Most were eyeing him and giggling with their friends.

*Strange how all the guys envy me for the looks I get from the female student body. When in all honesty I envy them, why can't I just be left the hell alone? Having all eyes constantly focused on me makes it difficult to keep up appearances.*

A hearty slap to the back that stung slightly brought him out of his thoughts. He knew that gesture, it was Rivalz.

"Hey buddy, just wanted to swing by and ask, **where the hell you were two days ago**!" Rivalz shouted, he was clearly upset, but somehow he still held his joking demeanor. Or maybe that's just the way he's wired.

"Oh sorry about that," Lelouch brought a hand up to the back of his head and smiled trying to play it off and change the subject as soon as possible. "You finish the homework?"

"When do I ever finish homework Lelouch?" Rivalz laughed and then his face turned serious if only for a moment. "But seriously, you're not getting out of this one. I had to walk my bike to school, I was an hour late! And then I had to walk it to a shop after school."

"Maybe you could use that for your excuse," Lelouch chuckled sympathetically to his friend as he saw Milly and Shirley quickly approaching.

"Hey you think that'd work?.. Maybe if I-" Rivalz was cut short by the overly excited Milly, the student council prez.

"Lulu! Hey is that you? We missed you yesterday." Milly yelled as she approached with a smile that seemed to influence her entire face.

*How many cups of coffee does she have to drink in an hour to maintain herself?* Lelouch wondered, amazed at her endless well of energy. *I should switch her to decaf some day.* Lelouch chuckled to himself.

Shirley followed close behind, butterflies in her stomach. As was the default emotion whenever she was around Lelouch. She could always come up with the words to say at night in her diary. So then why were they always so hard to retrieve when she was face to face with his him. His deep violet eyes gazing into hers, it was as he could paralyzed her with just a glance. She wasn't sure how to feel about this, she never felt like this with any other boy. That worried her, but the power he held in such a simple gesture made her feel safe around him.

"Yeah it was a bit of a complicated situation, no big deal though. I can fill you guys in later," Lelouch said noticing that everyone was starting to make their way into the building. He began to make his way towards the doors as well, the boredom of class sounded delightful to the prying eyes and ears of the student council. "Looks like classes are starting, I should get going. Don't want to be late two days in a row, right Rivalz?" Lelouch looked over his shoulder with a grin to his friend who was flushed red with anger.

"You just wait Lelouch! I'll find some way to get you back!" Rivalz shouted. He had to come up with some kind of scheme, but how was he supposed to outsmart Lelouch? We're talking about a guy who could beat Rivalz in chess with his eyes closed. That was mostly because Rivalz attention span was so short that he gave up a few moves in. But it was a valid argument none the less.

Lelouch lightly pushed his way through the crowded halls of the Academy; it was the largest school in the nation after all. Large enough that he actually had his own portion of the school to call his own, thanks to the Ashford family. They let him and his sister stay in a wing, in an attempt to keep his identity a secret. It also helped him take care of his dear sister Nunnally and keep her out of harm's way. Luckily his 'home' was far enough out of the way that it wasn't accessible to the normal students.

Lelouch arrived in his first class with a few minutes to spare, there were only a few students in the room already. Most were gathered around a red headed student, *hmm it's been a while since that desk was-* Lelouchs' thoughts stopped abruptly, realizing who the student was. His eyes widened and his books nearly fell from his now loosened grip. *This couldn't be, is school where I recognized her from? She'd been absent for so many classes due to her illness, or so I was told. It appears she hasn't noticed me yet.* Lelouch paused for a moment. *No this can't be avoided, I just have to make this as casual as possible.*

"Hey Kallen, it's good to see you back in class." Lelouch waved with a phony smile on his face. He was a great liar, but in his life, happiness was slightly foreign to him. He was by no means depressed but he found little to be truly happy about. He still had plenty of things to live for, Nunnally being first and foremost.

Kallen turned around to see Lelouch, who looked rather strained. *You have got to be kidding me,* Kallen wore an awkward smile on her face and tried to manage a wave. "Thanks, it's good to be back."

The girls around Kallen were in an uproar, all of them trying to whisper to Kallen. In order to be heard over the others whispering, their voices continued to rise until it was a full voiced conversation about Lelouch, a mere ten feet from him. Kallen blushed as she tried to hide her face behind her book, *please god, just let the bell ring.* Kallen pleaded in her mind. Lelouch sunk back into his desk, how was it that everything involving girls always back fired on him?

The rest of the students entered the class room as the bell rung, everyone taking their seats. The professor peeked his slightly bald head out over his name plate. No one had noticed that he was in the class room until he stood but it seemed he wasn't paying any attention to them prior to the bell, so it made little difference.

Eyeing all of the students, he had the strangest air about him. It was like he was a prison guard, gazing upon the inmates on death row. He twisted the brown hairs on his chin with his fat thumb and index finger as he held that smug look on his face, eyes narrowed as he took attendance. He arched a bushy brow as his vision rested on Kallen. "Glad you could be with us today Ms. Stadtfeld." His voice was grim and heavy. "Will you be gracing us for the remainder of the semester, or should I hold onto your mailing address?"

"Uhm-Well, I'll do my best to make it in sir." Kallen said uncomfortably, shifting in her chair. She clenched her fist under her desk, *gah how I hate this. If only I didn't need to keep up this stupid appearance as a sickly school girl. I'd deck him straight in his jaw, ass hole...*

"I'm sure," The Professor laughed to himself. "Now then class we'll be covering the history of our great Britannia today. We'll discuss how it was founded, and how we rose to the super power that we are today. Are there any questions on the homework? Great." The teacher went on turning to face the board. Clearly he was very adamant about the subject, as he was lost in his thoughts, busy with his drawings and diagrams at the moment.

Lelouch quickly pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled on it, looking up intermittently to ensure the professor hadn't turned around yet. Luckily, it was Rivalz who was sitting in front of him. "Rivalz, pass this to Kallen," he whispered trying to be casual.

"Hmm?" Rivalz asked peeking back over his shoulder seeing Lelouch hold a note up. *A note for Kallen, jeese Lelouch is ambitious. Even for him she'll be a tough one... Wait! This is perfect, that's how I can get back at Lelouch.* Rivalz snickered to himself and took the note. He held it in his hand, biting his lip to stop himself from laughing aloud.

Lelouch could hear Rivalz holding back a laugh. *What in the world is he going on about now?* Lelouch asked himself, arching his left brow.

"Excuse me professor Reisdorph?" Rivalz called out raising the hand that held the note.

*Rivalz you fool! What the hell are you doing?* Lelouch panicked, his heart quickened, his stomach felt like it suddenly hit a wall. *What can I do? I don't have eye contact with Rivalz. Damn you!*

"What is it?" the professor turned around disappointed it was Rivalz that asked. "What's that you have in your-"

Lelouch quickly got out of his chair._ "I-it's nothing sir, p-please continue."_ Lelouch managed to get out, his face still full of fear except for his eye shining with the power of his geass.

"Very well," the professor stated turning back around to look at his diagrams. "Now where were we? AHA!" He was once again lost in his material. How he could get so ecstatic about the most insignificant details of Britannia was astounding.

Lelouch snatched the note from Rivalz hand, who was still confused as to what just happened. Lelouch had nearly everyone's attention now as he walked up to Kallens' desk with his head bowed in defeat and dropped the note off himself. Those two steps felt like miles, never before had he been so embarrassed. He turned around and walked back to his desk, hands in his pockets. The class gasped seeing such a bold move, Shirleys' eyes were ablaze with jealousy. Back at his desk he dropped his head into his hands, wishing the school would just burst into flame and get it over with.

Kallen, surprised as anyone else looked around and held the note close to her. The paper was torn but folded very neatly and his penmanship was fantastic, she never knew a man could write so delicately. Despite their efforts even the students closest to Kallen were unable to make out what the note said.

"And then!.." The professor roared dragging the marker with such weight, as if he was swinging a sword. It pulled him off balance a little since his stocky frame couldn't reach from one end to the other. The marker made a thick line from one side of the board to the other. He was making the best explosion sounds he could, imitating some great battle. He laughed with gusto as he continued, mostly talking to himself at this point.

The note read, "Meet me on the roof Kallen, directly after class. We need to talk. Take the west stairs so we aren't followed. Also, to avoid this method in the future, here is my cell phone number: 555-442-8675."

The bell was about to ring as the teacher wheeled around on the back of his heel. "Rivalz! What does all of this tell us?" The professor asked slightly out of breath from his dramatic lesson. He was looking at Rivalz with an expecting glare; his eyes were narrowed beneath his furrowed brow, his jaw clenched and his podgy arms placed on his wide hips. Clearly he'd never done this in front of a mirror.

Rivalz was a deer in headlights. He hadn't heard a single word of the discussion. "All hail Britannia?" Rivalz guessed, his eyes squinted with an uneasy smile on his face. He felt like he was in the electric chair, just waiting for the switch to be thrown.

"Exactly!" The professor cheered. Beads of sweat were rolling down his plump face. He raised his glorified marker into the sky, and then to the Britannian flag as the bell pierced the silence that had the class averting their gaze from the professor, slightly embarrassed for him. Everyone stood up and grabbed their things and made their way out of the class.

"Sheesh, it's incredible how Professor Reisdorph gets sucked into his work." Rivalz stated stretching his hands back behind his head.

"What I find incredible is how you still manage to fail that class." Lelouch laughed aloud. After they walked out the door Kallen and Lelouch didn't say a word to each other. She went left and he went right along with Rivalz and closely followed by Shirley.

"So what was the deal with that note?" Rivalz asked, reaching an arm around Lelouchs' shoulder. "Did you ask her out?"

"ASK HER OUT!?" Shirley screamed in the middle of the hallway drawing all attention on them for a moment. All she could do was try to laugh it off awkwardly as the students went back to what they were doing.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Lelouch played it off perfectly with his silver tongue. "I was just trying to tell her not to worry about Professor Reisdorph. After all, he's come down on each of us pretty hard at least once. That's why I didn't want him to see the note, Rivalz." Lelouch ended with a harsh tone and daggers in his eyes, staring directly at his friend.

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense." Shirley said, looking up with a finger to her lips as she nodded.

"Oh heh, my bad. I was just trying to get back at you for the other day you know?" Rivalz said with a big smile, hoping his friend would go easy on him.

"Don't worry about it," Lelouch smiled. "We even? After all, that was pretty embarrassing."

"Sure buddy," Rivalz smiled back and gave him a light punch to the shoulder.

"Don't you both have Chem lab right now?" Lelouch asked, pretending to be concerned.

"Oh yea! We gotta get going," Rivalz exclaimed as he grabbed Shirley by the wrist, dragging her off. Lelouch could hear her shouting at Rivalz from down the hall, followed by a familiar pained yelp.

*Perfect, now no one will suspect a thing.* Lelouch smirked to himself as he took the east set of stairs leading up to the roof. Taking steady strides up the stairs, he ran his hand through his thick dark hair as he opened the door and stepped outside. It was slightly windy out, just enough of a breeze to blow strands their hair. In the shadows it was cold, but in the sunlight it felt only slightly discomforting. The view was breath taking, you could look out over all of the Ashford Academy if you wanted, and the courtyard looked particularly beautiful from this height.

Kallen was waiting for him rather impatiently tapping her shoe on the ground, her hands balled into fists. "Took you long enough, I was beginning to think you were putting me up to some kind of prank or something." Her cerulean eyes aimed to pierce through him like paper, her glare was undeniable. She no longer hid behind her 'illness', now she resumed the persona of the Red Lotus. Lelouch had watched her single handedly destroy 6 Knightmare frames, and she had her sights set on him.

However, Lelouch no longer needed to hide himself either. His voice no longer held the care or compassion it once did. It was the voice of a stern, yet charismatic leader, "Calm down, I had to lose everyone. After that incident in class-"

"Yea, what was that about? You couldn't think of any other way to get my attention? Cause I think it would have been more subtle if you just yelled from across the room!" Kallen fumed, angered that he had put her in such an embarrassing situation.

"I thought it would be safe handing the note to Rivalz. Clearly my faith was misplaced and I did the best I could." Lelouch said trying to calm her down. "You don't have class at the moment do you?" He asked as he walked over to sit against the four foot wall that encircled the roof.

Kallen shook her head, "no, I'm off for a while." She began to calm down. Staring at her feet she was unsure what to do or what to say.

"Good, as am I. What all have you learned of your geass?" Lelouch prodded, motioning for her to come and sit next to him against the cool concrete wall.

"Are you sure it's safe to discuss that here?" Kallen asked motioning towards the closed door. "What if someone comes up here?"

"That's what my geass is for, I can command anyone to do whatever I want. All I have to do is tell them to forget what they heard and return inside." Lelouch stated confidently, his body language softened as if to try to convince her he wouldn't bite.

Kallen bit her lip for a moment, judging if she felt comfortable enough to sit in such close proximity to him. She decided to compromise and sat against the wall a few feet away. She looked up to the nearly clear sky and sighed, "Well I know I can control peoples' emotions to some extent. I'm still trying to figure out all the rules to it though."

"I thought as much," Lelouch said raising a hand to his strong jaw line, drawing a V down to his chin. "Clearly you do not need direct eye contact as I do, otherwise Jeremiah wouldn't have been affected. However, this brings up a new question. Why was the other soldier not affected? Did you know anything special about Jeremiah before hand?" Lelouch asked letting all of his thoughts have a voice as he curled his hand from his jaw to the right side of his face.

"No, I'd never even heard of the guy before that fight." Kallen thought back, trying to ensure that her answer was an honest one.

"Well then, we are clearly dealing with one of two parameters. Either you have a limited range from your focal point that is extraordinarily small, or you need the targets name." Lelouch deduced, tapping the right side of his temple with his middle finger.

"His name?" Kallen asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, if you recall, Jeremiah shouted his name on an open channel mere moments before he fled. In a state of panic, you unleashed your geass hoping for the best. Clearly it worked; I have no doubt about that. As for the other time you used your geass, or at least I assume you did, as I couldn't see your face. It was when you told your comrades to trust you. It seemed the effect wasn't unanimous. But seeing as how we have no way of knowing who was standing where, that situation doesn't help us much. Even if we did know, we'd still have no idea how many of them would have accepted simply because it was an order." Lelouch pondered for a moment. "There is one sure way to find out," he said springing up and striding over to the door, "I'll return shortly Kallen."

With no more than a click of the shutting door he was gone. Kallen was at a loss for words. She blinked a few times trying to figure out exactly what he had in mind. But before she could think of anything, he returned with a younger male following him. He was a bit shorter than Lelouch with brown hair and some freckles that span across his face. His eyes were dull, the tell tale sign of Lelouchs' geass.

"Kallen, do you know him?" Lelouch asked quickly.

"No, I've never seen him before," Kallen responded eyeing the kid up and down.

"Perfect, he will be our tester for our geass powers. You'll be first, use your geass on the both of us." Lelouch told her with his confident smirk.

"What? I mean what should I do?" Kallen asked unsure of what emotion she should use.

"I don't care, as long as it's noticeable quickly. I would ask however, that you be prepared to use your geass again to stop us. I'd prefer not to have my emotions tampered with permanently." Lelouch said completely oblivious to the effect he was currently under.

"Understood," Kallen said preparing herself. A pang of guilt hit her for a moment realizing what she had done to him. She lowered her head, somewhat unsure of herself. *He has no idea that he's under my influence...*

"Kallen this isn't difficult, just command us to be afraid of you, or hate you, really anything will-"

"_Fear me_," Kallen said cutting him off. The power of the King embodied her for merely a moment and shot at Lelouch, invading his mind and ripping into him with undeniable power.

Lelouch fell to the ground then gazed up at Kallen in horror. His eyes wide, he tried to voice a scream but could only gasp for breath. His eyes were sporadic, looking around for a way he could escape from her. The younger student remained standing unaffected by the geass.

"Stop," Kallen commanded, seeing the effect on Lelouch was not a pretty site. The geass filled her once more, but just as quickly as the power built, it died. *What? What's going on here?* "Cancel, desist, quit!" Kallen shouted, starting to panic.

Lelouch let out a shriek of terror hearing Kallen scream at him, tears streaming down his face. He had to get away from her regardless of cost. He spotted the ledge of the roof and started running for it, as if he was a small child running to his house, afraid of the dark.

Kallen reached out and tried to restrain him but he flailed frantically, breaking free of her grasp. Her heart was pounding, it was all she could hear, it was threatening to break her ribs. As he neared the wall Kallen reached towards him, "_trust me!"_

Lelouch suddenly stopped, caught aback by the position he was in. He felt a slight warmness on his cheeks as he reached up to discover that they were tears. "Did you make me ball my eyes out Kallen?" He laughed as he turned around seeing the desperate look on her face.

Kallen took a moment attempting to catch her breath, "no... That was fear." She sighed heavily with relief, collapsing on the ground for a moment.

Lelouch nodded his head and took note of the position of the younger boy. "And it seems he was unaffected." Lelouch motioned towards the stoic student.

"Yes... can you... give me a minute?.. That was kind of rattling." Kallen said, still trying to catch her breath.

"How so, did your geass take a physical toll on you?" Lelouch asked still confused, taking a step towards her.

"No. You nearly committed suicide." Kallen said sitting up now, finally beginning to calm down.

"Well everything is fine now, right? Don't worry about it, now we know you need a name for your geass." Lelouch walked over to her, extending his hand to her.

She accepted his hand and stood, "there's something else." Kallen said feeling a bit ashamed of herself.

"What's that?" Lelouch asked, he could see the distress in her face, the guilt in her eyes. She seemed truly sorry.

"I can't stop it, my geass. Once it's controlling you, I have no way of stopping it."

Lelouch took this in for a moment, looking at the ground. *Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to use me..* Lelouch scolded himself. "So then, what effect am I under at the moment?"

"Trust," Kallen looked down, she couldn't stand to look into his deep amethyst eyes any longer.

"By far the least bothersome, after all I trusted you before correct?" Lelouch didn't seem bothered at all by his current status.

"About that, I kind of used it on you yesterday... in the Sutherland." Kallen admitted still unable to look up and see the expression on his face.

"Well, I can't say that I'm pleased but no harm came from it.." Lelouch responded automatically. Suddenly felt unsure of himself, now that he knew he was under the effect of her geass how could he trust his own judgment. What mistakes could he have already made? What mistakes would he make in the future with his thoughts not being his own?

*There's no sense in being upset at Kallen, even if she hadn't used her geass on me prior to today, I would be in the same situation currently. There has to be a way out of this, could I cancel her geass with mine? Perhaps, but I can't afford to take more chances using myself as the experiment?*

Lelouch looked over to the kid still under his control, "tell me your name." Lelouch said rather coldly.

"Nicholas," the student said equally as cold.

"Kallen use your geass on him, nothing serious, it's just a test. I would suggest using trust on him, that seems to be the least harmful if it is to be permanent." Lelouch said never breaking his gaze on Nicholas.

Kallen nodded looking up at Nicholas, "_Trust me._"

Nicholas' eyes blinked to life, "huh where am I? How did I get up here? Who are you?" He asked to Lelouch.

"Don't worry about him Nicholas, everything's okay. You should go back downstairs though, you probably have class." Kallen said in a comforting tone. Without a word Nicholas did as was suggested and entered back into the school. The wind picked up some, blowing strands of hair in front of Kallens face, occasionally whipping it to the side in the momentary gusts.

It seemed like a veil was lifted from Lelouchs' eyes, *I can't believe she used geass on me! Did she think I wasn't going to cooperate with her? Wait a minute.. That means.. my thoughts, they're my own... But how? I haven't used geass on myself yet. There must be another limit to her power, perhaps she can only effect a certain number of people.* "Kallen, I propose a deal." Lelouch said calmly.

Kallen finally returned his gaze, his eyes seemed different. Even though the wind blew his hair across his face, the intent held within was perfectly visible. They were fierce, not angry, but powerful, like a beast waiting for its time. "What is it?" Kallen asked, not sure how to feel about the look in his eyes.

"I can tell you right now, that I'm no longer under the control of your geass. Clearly there must be a kind of limit to the number of people you can control before they drop off. I propose a pact from me to you, I will never use my geass on you, in return, I ask the same of you. If we are to be allies in this, it must be built on real trust, not geass. I need my thoughts and emotions to be my own, without them I will surely fail." Lelouch said, the fierceness slowly fading from his violet eyes.

"That sounds fair, I'm sorry that I used it on you in the first place. I don't know why-"

"None of that matters now, we simply need to move on. There are many tasks at hand and we have much preparation to do." Lelouch reached out his right hand towards Kallen and she accepted it. "It is a deal then." Lelouch nodded shaking her hand firmly. *That worked out nicely, I'd hate to have to waste my trump card so soon.* The wind began to pick up, the trees danced and succumbed to the power of its' gusts. "Perhaps we should get inside, I know of a place where we can have some privacy." Lelouch spoke over the wind, guiding her back into the school.

The school halls were bustling with students, crowded as it was it felt like a mosh pit trying to move any direction with certainty. "How do you expect to find anywhere peaceful at this time?" Kallen shouted trying to be heard over the roar of the students.

"Follow me," Lelouch grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her across the hallway, they were met by a wall of bodies all trying to move in one of two directions. As soon as he entered Lelouch was nearly trampled only saved by Kallen holding onto him. The door to his wing was just across the hall, if only he could reach it. *Okay, clearly I'm not the trailblazer of the team.*

Determined to cross, Kallen pushed her way through the crowd, dragging Lelouch to the other side. As she neared the other side she felt something or someone grab her backside. "Hey! Someone just grabbed by butt!" Kallen clenched her fist and reared around, trying to discover the culprit but it was futile, in the mass of people it was impossible to pick out just one suspect.

"Don't worry about it, happens to me all the time." Lelouch pleaded with her to continue as he was being tossed around. Upon reaching the other side she raised her hand connected to Lelouch, trying to assess the damage. He appeared to be bruised in a few places, his cheek being one of them.

"Whew, at least we're in the clear." Lelouch sighed as the crowd began to thin.

"What are you talking about we only made it across the hall." Kallen said, looking for another opening.

"Yeah that's where we're going." Lelouch said as he pulled out an intricate silver key to the door in front of them.

"What? You have access to that part of the school?" Kallen asked astonished, "I thought that section was only for the Ashford Family."

"Yeah, they're really nice," Lelouch smiled as he opened the door quickly, pulled Kallen in after him, and quickly shut the door which locked automatically. "I'll explain everything in a moment." Lelouch said still holding Kallens' hand as he strode down the glamorous halls of the Ashford Wing. Incredible paintings decorated the walls. The rugs the walked on were very plush, their feet sinking in with every step. They passed door after door until Lelouch finally stopped at a door marked Lamprouge. He pulled out another key and inserted it into the lock, "after you." He said opening the door for her.

Suddenly Kallen felt somewhat underdressed as she walked through the set of rooms given to Lelouch and Nunnally. Kallen noticed that Lelouch had that sophisticated air about him, with the care he took to his hair and clothes, always neat and clean. Although she never imagined it was to this extent! They entered the main living room where Nunnally was sitting at the table trying to master origami.

"Lelouch, your home," Nunnally smiled. She paused as she heard another set of footsteps along with his. "Who's your friend?" Although she was blind, Nunnally was far from helpless. Her hearing was a second to none. Several times had Lelouch thought he could sneak something past his little sister, for better or for worse, but to no avail.

"Nunnally this is Kallen. Kallen this is my dear sister Nunnally." Lelouch said, hoping his sister would approve. After all she had the probability of being around him quite a bit for an extended period of time. Nunnally extended her hand towards Lelouch and Kallen.

Kallen grasped it lightly, "it's a pleasure to meet you. You have a very caring older brother." Kallen smiled, until she realized that it held no value.

"Thank you very much," Nunnally smiled as she studied her hand for a moment. Her hand was soft but strong, her nails were bare but she felt warm and comforting. Clearly a good influence on Lelouch, Nunnally looked in Lelouchs' direction and nodded ever so slightly. "Well I'm sure you both have things to do, I've got to get back to my birds." Nunnally smiled as she returned to her work.

"Alright, just let me know if you need anything okay Nunnally?" Lelouch said reaching down to give his sister a hug.

"Oh please, don't worry yourself, Sayoko is around here somewhere. I'll be fine." Nunnally said as she reached for her origami paper once more.

Lelouch and Kallen continued towards his room, he let her in first. Kallen looked around, it was very well kept and clean. *Although I suppose it's more likely that someone else keeps it clean for him by the looks of this place.* It was nicer then her place, perhaps not by much, but that was still saying a lot.

After all, Kallens' father made enough money to support her god awful step mother. If you wished to entertain her for merely ten minutes you had to be loaded. Kallens' eyes stopped when she realized the only problem with the current scenario, no chairs, and one bed.

Lelouch sat at the foot of the bed and invited her to sit with him. Kallen hesitated for a moment, unsure of how quick things were going between the two of them. After all in the past few days she'd already had an awful lot of firsts with him, first boy to see in his boxers, other than those stupid models for men's' underwear. First to see her in her underwear, now he's the first boy she's been alone with in a bedroom...

Kallens discomfort became more evident as the seconds ticked by, "I can get you a chair from the other room if you'd like," Lelouch explained looking over at Kallen, who was still hesitant. "Do I make you feel uneasy?" He asked tilting his head to the side.

"Hmm? Oh, well I'm just weary of people I don't know. Sorry, this is all just going a bit fast for me."

"Say no more," Lelouch stood up and exited the room to get a chair from the living room.

Kallen looked around trying to take everything in. *He doesn't seem like a bad guy, and he hasn't done anything for me to distrust him. If anything, I'm the one that shouldn't be trusted.. How can he seem so innocent, and yet so cold at the same time. The way he was able to simply kill Clovis, without so much as a second thought. I understand he needed to be removed, but shouldn't it have been harder for him? It's one thing when you're in a knightmare, which takes the immorality out of killing. At least they're given the chance to escape...* Kallen clenched her teeth. *Toughen up Kozuki, this is war. There's no room to be wallowing over the dead.* Kallen thought, a stern determination on her face.

Lelouch was in the bathroom cleaning bits of vomit off his mouth. It seemed that killing was something he was going to have to get used to. *Strange that it didn't hit me until just now, perhaps my mind repressed it..* Clovis was far from his last target, if discovered he would be shown no mercy. *It's kill or be killed now, the die have been cast.* Lelouch looked directly into his own eyes in the mirror. They were glossed with hatred and filled with sorrow beneath that, his weakness. He could never show it to his comrades, *if they see anything but a stalwart leader they could falter, they could stray from me, it's a chance of failure, a chance I'm not willing to take. I will have to be cold and unwavering. Many more will die in this war, their blood will be on my hands. Sacrifices must be made. Absolutely nothing can stand in my way..* Lelouch placed his hand over his reflection in frustration and suddenly an idea came to him. "Zero."

Kallen was intent to look around and see what she could find out about Lelouch, but refrained from moving. *Everything in here seems so clean, so empty. The only thing with any character is that chess board with the pieces set up, ready to battle. Other than that, there isn't much of anything in this room that says anything about him at all. But when you look at him, everything about him says something. From way he holds his head, the gestures with his hands, the way he speaks, everything... Maybe that's what this room says about him, this isn't his home. Nothing here is his, all of this is just a mask...*

Lelouch entered the room carrying a chair, "sorry about the wait, I had to use the restroom." He set the chair down lightly and moved towards his bed. He sat down and rested one leg on the other.

"Thank you," Kallen smiled and accepted, the chair was comfortable for its size. It was made of wood, save the plush cushions on the seat and back.

"Never worry to ask something of me Kallen. I need you to trust me, just as you need me to trust you. Above all else we need to support each other." Lelouch extended the length of his body to reach out and grab two pieces from the chess board. "Just as a Queen is lost without the King; without the Queen, the King is doomed to failure." Lelouch said heavily as he held out the black queen piece in his left hand.

"I understand but-" Kallen began.

"Earlier you said you know nothing about me, just as I know nothing about you. But I'm going to share my secrets and strategies with you and you alone. I won't hide a single thing from you Kallen, not all of it will be easy to hear, but it will be honest. After all, trust is better to be built, rather than placed." Lelouch said tilting his head slightly towards hers waiting for a response as he twirled the king piece in his right hand.

*Is he serious? He's going to just tell me all of his deep dark secrets? How much blind faith can you put in a person?... But what about his results? Killing Clovis was no small task... Clearly we have the same goal in mind. Besides, it's past the point of no return now. We both have enough information on the other to get them killed...*

"I suppose you're right. We already know more than enough about each other. If either of us had any bad intentions, there would be no need to press further. Alright Lelouch, I trust you." Kallen said as she picked up the black queen.

**A/N Whew, that one took me a while lol. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it : ) As always I would treasure a review, anything that you have to say helps. **


	4. Worst Day Ever

**A/N: **First and foremost, I own no part of Code Geass. Although I'm considering Reisdorph XD. I only recently checked my email and I had over 100 messages on this story alone O.O for only a few days I was completely surprised and incredibly pleased. Although the majority didn't review, I'd like to thank all of you just the same, for your time and interest. I truly appreciate it : )

**Worst Day Ever**

Lelouch looked up at the sun peering out over the massive Ashford Academy. It was nearly time for school to begin, and he could already feel the heat of the sun on his face. He lowered his head, hands in his pockets and continued to the doorway along with the rest of the students who frequented the courtyard before the beginning of school. It was always worth lingering for just a moment, whether to take in the architecture of the academy or to simply hear the latest gossip traversing the school. Unfortunately, being as painfully popular as he was, Lelouch often found the rumors involving him.

"Did you hear about Lelouch and the sick girl?" A girl squeed, flipping her golden hair to one side while clenching her hands to her chest.

"No! You have to tell me everything!" Her friend responded with baited breath.

Lelouch sighed as he continued by, *I've always known the price of popularity, but I have yet to see the value in it.*

"Did you hear about Prince Clovis?" A male student asked in a rather loud tone, as if he were the first on the scene.

"Of course we have, who hasn't? It was all of the news like crazy last night." A girl responded in a condescending tone and a disgusted face, before she left the circle, no longer interested in such a bore.

*At least there's some good news...* Lelouch smirked to himself.

"Lulu! Wait up!" Shirley shouted from behind, jogging up to meet him.

Lelouch continued to walk, still trying to get out of earshot of the gossip yard. "Oh hey Shirley, what's up?" Lelouch smiled in his casual manner. He opened the door and allowed Shirley to enter first.

"Nothing exciting, the Prez just asked me to tell you not to be late to Student Council today. I guess she has some big event planned." Shirley shrugged.

*That's all I need right now...* Lelouch thought to himself, his emotions behind his mask as usual.

"Sounds great." Lelouch smiled as he made his way down the lengthy hall to his locker.

"What class do you have right now?" Shirley asked, her eyes lowering to her foot as she twisted it back and forth on the granite floor of the academy lobby.

Lelouch had to think for a moment, *what is today? Wednesday? Oh god, no...* Lelouch lowered his head quickly, lightly hitting against his locker door. "Gym." He moaned. He was a top notch student, which was why he had so few classes per day. And yet, that single word that carried the weight of a freight train. To say that he wasn't skilled in physical sports was a severe understatement. Yet he couldn't drop out, his pride wouldn't allow him to be held back a year for lack of physical education credits.

*Dang it, that's on the other end of the school. There's no way I could get him to walk me to class now...* Shirley sighed. "Oh. Well you should probably get going then. We don't have a lot of time before the bell." Feeling defeated, she pulled out her phone for the time. She wasn't kidding; they only had a few minutes before the bell rung. "Well I guess I'll see you later Lulu." Shirley said with a sincere smile before rushing quickly to her class.

Lelouch pulled out his gym bag from his locker and drug it towards the gym. Nearly half way there the bell rang, forcing him to pick up his pace slightly. Upon his arrival he went down the west set of stairs, descending into the men's locker room. Lelouch looked around at the display of testosterone, as the guys with chiseled abs and biceps bigger than his thighs took their time getting dressed. They always seemed to. It was like an alpha male display, while students like Lelouch just rushed through the process of changing.

Lelouch climbed back up the stairs leading back onto the gym floor where the large number of students began to gather in a circle in the middle of the room for attendance.

"Hey buddy!" Rivalz exclaimed as he strolled over to Lelouch. "Another fun filled day eh?" Rivalz chuckled out loud.

"You know it." Lelouch tried his best to show an ounce of enthusiasm.

"Have you seen coach Moore? I thought she'd have been here by now." Rivalz asked, looking around.

Lelouch looked around as well, but couldn't see the usual coach either. Come to think of it, he didn't see any faculty member at all. *Could this be a stroke of luck? Perhaps class will be cancelled.* Lelouch hoped to himself. A hope that was quickly shattered, as the heavy gym door swung open to reveal a short and rather plump man. He leaned over for a moment, struggling to catch his breath.

"Professor Reisdorph?" Rivalz asked in a mix of shock and horror. Surely he couldn't lead the class; he was in worse physical condition than Kallen pretended to be.

"That's... Right.." The professor said, still fighting to regain his breath. He shuffled to the front of the class, his shoes squeaking across the hardwood gym floor, clipboard in hand as usual.

"What happened to coach Moore?" Rivalz asked, trying not to show his distaste for the current situation.

"Coach Moore hasn't made contact with the academy since she won the lottery, two days ago. Until an acceptable replacement has been found, I will be assuming control of this class." The Professor stated casually as he went over the names on his clipboard. "Well it seems almost everyone is here except.. Kallen Stadtfeld?" The Professor asked, pretending to be shocked as he looked around the group of students standing in front of him.

"I'm here." Kallen said raising her hand, still sitting against the back wall.

"Miss Stadtfeld, is there any particular reason you are not standing in front of me?" Reisdorph said, arching his brow. His temper was quickly shortening.

Kallen blinked a few times, slightly befuddled. "I have a medical note, excusing me from physical activities."

"I see, are you unable to stand as well? I could arrange for wheel chair if necessary." Reisdorph retorted sarcastically, a smirk beginning to creep across his round face.

Kallen nearly erupted, *just who the hell do you think you are?* Luckily she was able to find her control and stood slowly. With a spiteful look she walked to join the rest of the group.

The man welcomed her with the largest toothy smile, it was rather creepy. "Lovely, now then let's look at the lesson plan." Reisdorph looked down at his clipboard. "**Badminton**? How are you supposed to prepare for the cold cruel world with **Badminton?** Change of plan class, today we will be doing a mile run." The professor said as he ran a thick line through the remainder of the lesson plan.

"Mile run?" Lelouchs' heart sank in his chest as the rest of the students groaned as well.

"I said, MOVE IT!" Reisdorph shouted, a vein bulging from his forehead.

The class drooped their heads in defeat as they made their way out to the track. It was hot out now as the sun rose in the sky, beaming down on all of them. *Amazing how quickly it warms up in the morning…* Lelouch looked at the track; it seemed to stretch forever before circling around to the beginning.

"Alright everyone, take your places." The professor wheezed, rushing the students to line up.

"Excuse me, Instructor Reisdorph?" Kallen quietly asked out, playing to the full effect of her sickness.

"Ms. Stadtfeld, is there something wrong?" Reisdorph asked, almost pretending to care.

"I can't run." Kallen stated plainly.

The professor was trying to stand tall, coming up to her eye level. "But you can walk." He responded, bringing his attention back to the class. "Now run! Make Britannia proud!" The little man cheered, his fists raised high in the air.

Lelouch began to jog as the rest of the class passed him quickly, *you've got to be kidding me? What else do you people do with your lives?*

He was able to make it more than a quarter around the track, before he felt the aching pain in his sides. Lelouch was determined however, he gritted his teeth and continued to the half way mark before his legs began to ache as well.

His breaths felt sharp as he gasped for air, he was nearing the three quarter mark. His legs began to wobble, turning to jelly beneath him, *no come on you can do this!* Lelouch commanded himself. His face was flushed red, and his vision started to blur as he saw the end of the track. Slowing to a crawl now, he held his breath and gave it everything he had. He returned full circle and passed the finish line. He felt that he was going to pass out if he didn't rest.

"Pick up the pace Lelouch, you still have three laps to go!" Reisdorph screamed from the side of the track, nearly throwing his clipboard at him.

*What? Three more laps? Impossible...* Lelouch looked back for a moment as the rest of the students ran past him and Kallen was nearing the three quarter marker. "This is the worst day of my life.." Lelouch pouted as he started walking, Reisdorph still screaming behind him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lloyd strode down the halls of the ICU, it was uncanny how the man could walk with springs in his shoes even in a place like this.

"Lloyd what are we doing here?" Cecile asked quietly, feeling uncomfortable about her surroundings.

"I'm searching for a pilot of course, this is a military hospital after all." Lloyd responded peeking in on the rooms he passed.

"But we've already screened thousands of soldiers to pilot the Lancelot." Cecile said trying to keep pace with him.

"Please don't remind me. All that paperwork, it was nearly unbearable. I'd rather share my schematics with Rakshata again, before going through that again." Lloyd raised a hand to his head, just speaking her name made his skull throb. That beautiful thief, of course he had no romantic interest in the woman. He didn't have a single romantic fiber in his being, but he did have to admire her for her tenacity. Lloyd stopped half stride nearly passing an open door. Inside was a man laying in the bed with gauze bandages on most of his face, the nurse was tending to his dressings. Lloyd looked up at the monitor. His heartbeat was steady and strong, his vitals were fantastic given the state he was in.

"Excuse me. Might I have a moment of your time?" Lloyd asked the nurse in his usual inquisitive tone, while adjusting his large glasses.

His voice startled her. "Who are you? What are you doing here? You know this area is off limits to non staff members." The nurse said looking up at him with a glare.

"Yes of course, I'm with the special forces division. This is my assistant Cecile." Lloyd continued to smile as he moved Cecile in front of him, as if to shield him from the nurse's wrath. "I just had a few questions about this young man."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lelouch leaned against the wall as he dragged himself down the hallway, the rest of the students breezing right past him. Rivalz raced past him still full of energy somehow, perhaps he was just running to get away from Reisdorph.

"Don't forget Lelouch, student council starts soon." Rivalz chuckled, looking back for a moment to wave to his friend before continuing down the hall. His infectious smile plastered on his face.

Kallen walked up behind him and lightly put a hand on his shoulder, "hey I didn't know you were on the Student Council."

"Yeah, I'm the vice president. I'm not even sure how I got the title. It's not like we voted or anything." Lelouch said as he arrived at his locker. "Part of me thinks it's just Milly's way to keep me under her thumb." He lazily swung the door open, before heaving his gym bag inside. It felt like he was carrying around a cinderblock, his muscles ached and begged for rest.

"Interesting, I was told to go to the Student Council room as well today. It seems I'm being inducted into the club today, better than any other club I suppose." Kallen shrugged.

*What's going on here, what does Milly hope to achieve with this?.. She couldn't possibly think that.. Nunnally.. She told Milly about Kallen..* Lelouch thought with a twinge of anger, not towards his sister but the situation in general. He wanted to smash his fist into his locker but his limbs wouldn't respond. He could only lean his head into it angrily, a far less effective method to convey anger.

"Come on lets go, it'll be fun." Kallen said, lightly tugging on Lelouch's limp arm.

When they arrived, the rest of the council was already there, along with a rather extravagant buffet of finger foods. Shirley was sitting with her elbows on the table, staring with frustration into her phone. Rivalz was digging into all the food with his hands, his stomach needing replenishment after the mile run. Lelouch on the other hand felt nauseated by the thought of food. Nina was sitting off to the side, minding her own business as she always did, silent as ever. And then, there was Milly, standing at the head of the table, flashing Lelouch an over exaggerated wink. From behind her back she pulled out a camera and snapped a quick photo of Lelouch and Kallen.

*This is the first time that I've ever been prompted to hit a woman.* Lelouch thought to himself, clenching every part of his body that would respond. From a bystander's point of view, it looked rather amusing.

"Welcome Kallen!" Milly shouted as she drew her hand over the food. "Please feel free to anything; it's your welcoming party after all!"

Kallen looked around. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed, being the center focus of the room. "All of this is for me?" She asked sheepishly.

"Of course! A new member is a perfect reason to celebrate, don't you think so Lulu?" Milly asked, a sly smile rising on her lips.

"It seems that everything is cause for celebration these days, no wonder our budget is in the red." Lelouch responded, pulling his mask of indifference back over his face.

"You know you've got a point Lulu. Nina, be a dear, make yourself useful and fix the budget." Milly said losing her usual cheer, refusing to break her gaze. Her soft blue eyes had a way of conveying more power than most. Like they were steel one moment, then shapeless puddy the next. Lelouch had no trouble returning her stare. Most would cave under her but not Lelouch, not after the day he'd been through. He eagerly accepted the stubborn duel.

Nina did as she was told and began work on the budget, typing away on the computer in front of her. Kallen was surprised at the tone in Milly's voice, and appalled at how Nina just sat there and took it. *My god, could you be a weaker woman? You're just like my mother...* Kallen thought in disgust. She made a vow long ago to never turn out like her mother.

"Well you know what every celebration needs right?" Rivalz exclaimed, in an attempt to break the rising tension. He raised the bottle he'd kept hidden till now directly into Milly's face. It was a cheap brand of Champagne.

"Alcohol?" Milly interjected, no longer locked with Lelouch's eyes.

"You can't be serious Rivalz! We could all get in huge trouble here!" Shirley fumed as she lunged from her seat to take the bottle from his grasp.

"Aw come on you gotta loosen up every once in a while." Rivalz laughed, wrestling Shirley off with a fair amount of ease. "Hey Lelouch! Catch." There was no pause between his words and his actions. He threw the bottle in Lelouch's direction, just before Shirley was able to get a hand on it.

Milly laughed, this was the kind of excitement she had been hoping for. She pulled her camera back up to her face. *These would look great in an album* she thought to herself.

Lelouch was stunned for a moment by the flash of Milly's camera as the bottle soared through the air towards him. It was actually a very good throw, everything considered. The bottle landed neatly in his outstretched hand. He could feel the tension building inside the bottle. Clearly this wasn't the advised way to serve the beverage.

Shirley shoved Rivalz to the ground and turned her rage on Lelouch. It was a side of her he had never seen before, but he didn't have time to take it in as she was upon him in moments. "You're not going to get away with this either Lulu!" Shirley shrieked, clawing at the bottle.

Lelouch tried to keep it out of reach, just to calm her down for a moment. It wasn't like he was going to drink any. His limbs still weak, he was unable to throw the bottle back to Rivalz who was waving his arms in the air. The constant struggle for the carbonated beverage proved more than the cork could handle.

Lelouch felt the bottle tense in his hand and looked down just in time for the cork to explode off the bottle head. With a heavy thud it struck him in the forehead and knocked him clean off his feet. He was airborne for a good second or two, before hitting the ground hard. He was then instantly welcomed by a spouting wave of champagne.

The rest of the student council could only contain their laughs for moments as the bottle emptied itself completely on Lelouch's chest and face. Even Kallen couldn't stop herself from giggling, although she did feel bad for him. After all, that had to hurt his already sore muscles quite a bit.

"Ouch..." Lelouch said staring at the ceiling, another flash from Milly's camera.

*It's just one of those days...*

"Maybe you should take a shower Lulu. You don't want to stink like alcohol on campus." Shirley said, containing her laughter, if only for a moment.

"Yeah, a shower sounds great right about now." Lelouch stood up slowly, dizzied by the impact. He wondered off, liquid dripping from his normally pristine clothes, his friends still unable to stop laughing. Once out in the hallway, he headed down to the individual showers. He wanted to be alone at the moment.

Kallen followed him out the door unnoticed. Only a few people were in the hallway at the moment. She'd only intended to make sure he was alright. She rounded the corner to see him entering the room that contained one of the private showers.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Cornelia was tapping her fingers madly on her throne inside the armored transport. *I don't know who you are.. But I swear, I will avenge the death of my brother.* she vowed to herself. Her soldiers working busily around her like ants, laboring for their queen. Euphemia was near the window of the vessel, staring out over the land. Her face was soft, yet incredibly determined.

"Who is acting in command of area 11 at the moment?" Cornelia demanded, clenching her gloved fist.

"It sounds like Lord Jeremiah was the commander, but we have yet to hear from him since he fled the scene of Clovis' death." A man to her right reported, reading the news flashing across the screen before him.

"I didn't ask for a story, or an excuse. I asked for a name." Cornelia said. Her calm demeanor betrayed the feelings welling within her.

"Lady Villetta is assuming control until we arrive, Malady." The same soldier responded, this time in a more respectful and cautious tone.

"Contact her immediately. I want to discuss something with her." Cornelia calmed. She gathered her thoughts and unclenched her fist to gaze at her gloved palm. *How someone could simply kill Clovis in cold blood is beyond me. What grave mistake was made here?*

"This is Villetta." Her image shown on the large screen before Cornelia.

"Do you have any information regarding the terrorist faction responsible for the Viceroy's assassination?" Cornelia asked, skipping the pleasantries.

"We were able to intercept a majority of their communications during the battle. Most of them were referred to as letters and numbers, it sounded like the leader was a young adult male. And the name Kallen came up a few times." Villetta reported.

"Context?" Cornelia asked, not caring to mince words.

"Orders, but without a last name-" Villetta began.

"Don't be a fool. Search the local data for the name Kallen, in a radius 50 kilometers from the attack point. Also, search flight purchases within the past two days." Cornelia interrupted, once again resuming her cold tone. Her dull violet eyes also reflected that same emotion. They weren't dull for lack of depth, but more for the wall she placed around her. She played her cards very close to her chest.

"But Princess Cornelia that would mean that-" Villetta started to sound worried.

Cornelia tilted her head back, elongating her chin, as if to demonstrate her superiority. "That civilians will be involved as well? This is true. However, one of those we collect will belong to this terrorist group. Capture everyone by that name within the next 4 hours. Tonight we will announce that there will be a series of executions, make sure their faces can be seen on television. The person responsible will come, I promise you." Cornelia continued.

"Understood, Princess Cornelia." Villetta saluted as the connection blinked out.

*Is she seriously thinking about killing all those people?* Villetta thought, *whatever she's got planed it's clear she's serious about it...*

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Lelouch had been in the shower for nearly ten minutes, when he heard a knock at the door. "Hello? Lelouch? It's Kallen." She called from the other side of the door. "May I come in?"

Lelouch was fairly surprised, *Kallen? What could she want?* "Yes, you may come in." Lelouch replied, running his fingers through his hair and massaging his scalp.

"I-I um, I brought you a change of clothes." Kallen stated as she stared at the curtain, his figure was fairly visible with the backlight shining through the curtain. It was distracting to say the least.

"Hm? I hadn't thought about that, I appreciate the thought. I just came in here to be alone. It's been a long day." Lelouch rubbed his shoulders and thighs under the hot water, trying to relieve the tension.

"Oh," Kallen suddenly felt like an intruder. "Well I'll leave you alone then, I'm sorry to have bothered you." She rested the clothes on the counter and turned towards the door.

"No, it's fine. I can be alone with you here. Actually I'm glad you came, I wanted to talk with you about something." Lelouch turned the handle on the shower head, focusing it to a stronger spray as it hit him in the back. He turned up the heat even more, causing the mirror to begin to steam over.

Kallen felt slight butterflies dancing in her stomach, *he wanted to be away from everyone else but me?*

"I wanted to tell you that I've created an outfit and a persona for myself. I'm calling it Zero." Lelouch said holding his bruised forehead directly under the stream.

Kallen's stomach calmed, seeing that this was a business talk, although for some reason she felt the slightest hint of disappointment. "Zero? Why'd you decide on that?"

"Because although it is empty, it also contains limitless possibilities. It seemed to sum up my life to this point." Lelouch said honestly.

"That's rather depressing," Kallen said raising a brow.

"As the truth most often is. It's unfortunate, that in this life I wasn't dealt a comedy, but a tragedy. Yet, the show must go on." Lelouch's fingers poked outside of the curtain and drew it back slightly, enough for him to peek his head out. "Kallen my phone is in the pocket of my uniform. Could you grab it for me?" When he pointed it forced the curtain open slightly more, exposing his shoulders and chest. Water slipped down his pale skin and Kallen could feel her cheeks reddening at the thought of him. She did her best not to look directly at him, but he was still in the corner of her eye as she looked at the scattered uniform on the floor, including his boxers.

She tried to be delicate, sifting through his liquor stained clothes. "I found it," She picked his phone from the pocket, averting her gaze as she held it towards him, not wanting him to see the redness in her face. Luckily the steam was building, making it difficult to see very far without focusing.

Lelouch shook his head and waved his hand. "Not for me, I want you to put down a number where I can reach your partners should I need to organize anything. After all if we are to work together, I need to be able to contact everyone. Just put the name in as team, so I know where to find it." Lelouch pulled his hand back and ducked his head back in before quickly popping back out again. "Oh, and put your number in there as well, in case I need to contact you for any reason."

Kallen couldn't help but wonder at what he meant by that last comment. *Why do all of his words have to be so damned convoluted? It's like he enjoys toying with me..* She sighed as she punched in Ohgi's number; it was by far the best way to contact the group as a whole. If the rest of the group wasn't with him, he could easily spread the word to them. When it came time for her to enter her number she realized he didn't tell her what to put her number in under, Kallen? Q-1? *No, Q-1 might be suspicious if his phone is ever found or stolen.*

Lelouch turned off the shower and reached out for the towel he left on the seat of the toilet, exposing him down to the waistline. Kallen's eyes went wide as she turned her head away. *How can he be so comfortable with all of this?* She thought, waiting for him to walk out, the towel now wrapped around his waist.

"That felt great." Lelouch stretched his arms out. His hair formed together like hundreds of sharp claws, sending beads of water crashing to the floor. Drops ran down his angular jaw line meeting at his chin. His eyes shimmered in the dim light, showing a hint of vulnerability, or perhaps it was just a mirage in the steam. His skin was slick and smooth, his muscles were rather small, but they gave his body a certain shape that was charming. The overall effect forced Kallen's heart to skip a beat and her breaths became heavy, or had they been due to the steam and she only just noticed?

Suddenly it felt very hot in the room and her uniform seemed a bit too snug around the neck. "Well there you go." Kallen said, placing his phone on the counter. She had to leave immediately. She made a bee-line for the door and exited the room.

Lelouch saw her starting to leave and went to follow her, he got to the door and opened it. "Kallen what's the rush? Did I do something wr-" Lelouch bit his tongue seeing nearly a dozen people in the hallway, himself still in his towel. Both him and Kallen turned a bright red as he quickly retreated and slammed the door shut. Even through the door he could hear the roar in the hallway. *Shit...* Lelouch cursed.

Kallen could no longer take the embarrassment, she hid her face as best as she could and made her way to the school exit. In a school like the Ashford Academy this was going to be a juicy bit for everyone to pounce on. She was going to be the talk of the school, and not in a way she cared to be.

Once free of the school she quickly made her way home, she just wanted to sit in her room and cry. God did she want to just cry, but she couldn't let anyone see it. She had to keep herself guarded at all times, very few were privileged to see the real her.

She turned the knob on the front door of her house and it opened rather easily. The lights were all off; this was strange, especially since her real mother was always out and about doing chores. Kallen's heart began to pick up pace. She reached out to turn on the living room light but something grabbed her wrist, hard. She tried to swing at the shadow, but she was quickly slammed against the wall with her hand raised high behind her back, threatening to dislocate her shoulder. All she could do was try to scream but another hand quickly covered her mouth.

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*Officially the worst day of my life...* Lelouch thought walking into the living room.

"Lelouch have you heard the news?" Nunnally exclaimed as her brother entered the room she was waiting in.

"Does it have anything to do with me?" Lelouch grumbled.

"No, they said on the news that they caught one of the members involved in the Viceroy's death."

**A/N: **This is the last chapter that will be rated T. From this point on it will be M, as the next chapter is quite traumatic.

As always I would treasure a review, but I appreciate your time none the less.


	5. Kallen, Casualty of war

**A/N: **First and foremost, I do not own Code Geass. Greetings faithful readers : ) This marks the beginning of M rated content, taking place immediately after the end of the previous chapter. Honestly, I'm aiming to blow some minds here, with both story integrity as well as emotion. So please, let me know how I did. Also for those of you that haven't noticed, I'm posting my progress on my profile so you can all know how far along I am into the next chapter and when to expect it. I have no intention of putting an endnote on this chapter, so if you have the time, I would treasure a review from you. : )

**Kallen, Casualty of War**

*What? But who? How could they have been so stupid?* Lelouch was enraged, but he had to calm himself, for his sister's sake.

"Really? That is interesting; I think I'll go see if I can catch it on TV." Lelouch said with his best effort of a smile, she couldn't see it, but she could hear the smile in his voice. And with that Lelouch stormed off to his room. He ensured the door was shut and locked as he threw himself into his chair and turned on the television.

"The suspects are being held near downtown as a large crowd has already gathered to witness the execution of the prisoners held behind me. The execution is to take place at 10 PM tonight." The news reporter stated as the camera panned back to see the group of six girls in prison restraints, tied to a wall with their heads forced forward. The fourth in line was Kallen Stadtfeld.

Lelouch's heart hit a wall as he saw her there. *Kallen! This can't be.. but how?* Lelouch looked at the clock it was already 7:30. *I don't have much time.. I've got to think of a way out of this… Wait a minute, who are the other five girls? I've never seen them before in my life..* Lelouch brought up a hand to stroke his chin. *Perhaps they could members of Kallen's faction, but I thought I got a good enough look at most of them at the train yard... Only one way to make sure.* Lelouch quickly pulled out his phone and called the 'team' contact.

"Hello?" Ohgi answered.

"This is Zero, I was the voice from the train yard. Do you remember me?" Lelouch asked quickly.

"Yes, of course I do-" Ohgi began.

"What was your unit and number?" Lelouch inquired.

"B-1, if I remember correctly. Did you see what happened to Kallen?" Ohgi responded, his voice was very defeated.

"That's precisely what I'm calling you about. Were any other members taken or is she the only one?" Lelouch asked impatiently.

"What? Why?" Ohgi asked, still hooked on the fact that Kallen was going to die.

"Just answer my damn question!" Lelouch yelled. His voice calmed quickly remembering that Nunnally could be within earshot.

"No she is the only one I recognize in the group." Ohgi responded unsure of where he was going with this information.

"I see. I need to meet with all of you, as soon as possible." Lelouch spoke, his voice heavy and urgent.

"I understand, we're at the warehouse on 1640 East 32nd. Is there anything we can do for Kallen?" Ohgi asked, not sure if he should even be getting his hopes up.

"I'm on my way, do not do anything until I get there." Without another word Lelouch hung up the phone. "I've got to think I need a plan here..."

*If I didn't recognize any of the other suspects, and B-1 didn't either, that can only mean that they are innocent. So then why hold them as well? And how did they find Kallen?..* Suddenly it hit him, like a cork to the head. *Her name was said over the communicator! The rest of those girls must share her name.. That has to be it! This is an attempt to draw me out of hiding! But if I don't rescue her, who knows what they'll do to the captives. With Clovis dead, they just might kill all of them.. That's a risk I can't afford to even consider.. Perhaps if I just got close enough to the commander I could-* Lelouch for the person in charge of the executions, it was Villeta, he recognized her from when he got his geass and stole her knightmare. *Damnit! That means I can't use geass on her to stop the execution! How am I going to get her out of this?* Lelouch looked around his room for an idea, anything. His eyes finally rested on his closet.

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"What are we still doing here? It's been nearly 50 minutes!" Tamaki shouted. "Kallen's gonna die in less than two hours and we're waiting for some 'great voice' to show up?" He was pissed, his limbs flailing madly in the air.

Ohgi rested his head in his hands, perhaps Tamaki was correct. Maybe this Zero shouldn't be trusted. But what chance did they stand? "And what would you have us do? Look at all the Knightmares there. Even with the models we still have from the train yard, there's no way we could take on all of them. That's what they're waiting for, it would be suicide..."

"So, we're just supposed to sit and watch her die?" Tamaki continued.

"Not at all." Zero stated as he pulled open the heavy warehouse door. His cape fluttered behind him as he slammed the door shut.

"Is this the guy?" Tamaki asked in a hushed voice through clenched teeth.

"I am Zero." Lelouch confirmed. He was carrying a duffle bag in his right hand which he dropped onto the floor. "We have little time so I'll get right to the point. I have a wager for you." He extended out a gloved hand as if to give them something.

"A bet? You really think this is the time to be making bets?" Ohgi asked, insulted by Zero's sudden indifference in the matter.

Zero brought a hand up to his mask, as if to hide half of his already covered face. "I'm a gambling man, what can I say. The terms are this: I will rescue Kallen, when I'm victorious, I will demand your loyalty and trust. My identity is vitally important to this war and needs to remain my secret." Lelouch said confidently, with a smirk unseen.

"And if you fail?" Tamaki asked.

"I won't, but I leave your prize up to you. Anything you wish within my power will be done." Zero responded casually.

"That's not a bet, it's a one sided deal." Tamaki huffed.

"Skip all that, what about your plan Zero?" Ohgi asked getting impatient.

"My plan involves none of you. I couldn't risk it not working if any of you refused. Therefore, you are to remain here and bear witness to my power." Zero clenched his fist in a self righteous gesture.

"What? You plan to rescue Kallen from that death trap on your own?" Ohgi couldn't believe what he was hearing, that was physically impossible.

"I'm sorry I have no time to argue semantics, but I must be going. I'm afraid the curtain call draws near." Zero stated as he turned around and picked up his duffle bag, walking steadily towards the door.

"Hey don't you walk out on us!" Tamaki screamed to Zero's back. The door slammed shut in response.

Zero was hit the cool wave of night air outside as the gust flapped his cape in the wind. He walked around the corner and unzipped the duffle bag, inside was the soldier uniform he kept from the train yard operation. He slipped it on as quickly as he could in the shadows. The distant glow of the execution square loomed ominously over downtown.

Once changed Lelouch ran as far as he could down the barren streets before he became winded. His muscles screamed out in pain, but he had to press on.

Luckily the warehouse was rather close to the event as he could already see the crowd gathering and hear them chanting. It seemed nearly everyone in the area was going to be present tonight.

Lelouch came to a sudden stop as he heard a gunshot in a convenience store nearby. *What a stroke of luck* He walked casually up to door and watched as a man was robbing the convenience store at gunpoint. The robber grabbed the money and made a break for it, the clerk was still in shock on the ground. Lelouch was waiting just outside the door as the thief ran at him, raising the gun to his face._ "Stop, you're going to follow my instructions very carefully...."_

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Euphemia was watching the screen before her, it was focused on the public execution trial. Cornelia was watching intently as well.

"Sister-"

"I'll ask you to refer to me as Viceroy from this point on." Cornelia interrupted.

Euphemia harbored a look of sorrow, if only for a moment. "Viceroy, what if the terrorists attack?" Euphemia asked, not fully understanding the plan. Sometimes Cornelia scared her, even if she was her sister.

"If the terrorists do strike, they will all die. We have enough Knightmares on standby to fight an army. Even if by some miracle they do succeed in freeing a prisoner, we hold a complete set of data on each girl present. The target the terrorists focus on must be the member we're searching for. So it wouldn't be long before we captured her again and interrogated her. The main objective of this operation is to smoke out the one responsible for our brother's death." Cornelia said trying not to be condescending to her little sister.

*Whoever you are, I have you right where I want you. Make one move, and I'll eliminate you.*

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Lelouch, still in his soldier garb, exited the back of the news van casually. He looked directly to his right and spotted Kallen up on the execution block, she looked dead already. Wrapped up in a tight, dirty white outfit, all of her appendages were buckled into place so she couldn't budge an inch. Her head was also locked into position so she couldn't turn to look at anyone or try to hide her face. She was also gagged, to prevent her from screaming. It pained Lelouch to see her like this, the proud warrior without her fighting spirit.

The execution block was a raised platform to prevent any commoners or attackers from reaching it, all the lights and cameras honed in on them. Kallen's features were blank, her eyes were stoic. She wasn't even struggling with the straps that held her down.

*I suppose that's a good thing, don't want to raise suspicion. Do not fear Kallen, I will come for you. I will not simply watch while Britannia captures my Queen!* Lelouch's thoughts were malicious as he pushed his way through the crowd towards the nearest group of soldiers standing about 50 feet from the execution block. *With all the light in the area, most soldiers aren't wearing their masks. As anticipated.*

Lelouch came to attention beside the captain, reading his name badge quickly. "Captain Waugh, I'm Corporal Harland Davis reporting from the north end, I have a message for you."

The captain turned to him for a moment, "what is it corporal?"

"_I just need a moment of your time.._" Lelouch said, the geass power looked menacing in his left eye.

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Kallen could only see in front of her since her head was held in place with a thick black leather strap. She was sweating from the heat coming off the giant screen behind her and the lights beaming in her direction, the binding outfits didn't help either. She felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She was trapped, she couldn't even used her geass since she was gagged. Even if she wasn't she didn't know anyone's name, she was completely helpless, a state of being that cut her to the core.

*Will Lelouch come for me?.. How can he? Even he wouldn't go against these odds, not against an army like this.... No, I have to hold out hope. If he doesn't come for me, then that's it... I'm dead.* Kallen looked around trying to figure out what time it was, but by the increased cheer of the crowd she could only assume that the time was drawing near.

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Lelouch returned to the unit with a mask on his face, a new gun in his hand and Captain Waughs' name badge on his chest. He looked at his watch, it was 9:58. His heart quickened, his blood felt thick as he could feel it coursing through every vein in his body. *Show time.*

"Citizens of Britannia!" Zero boomed as his image took over the giant screen behind the captured women. Everyone gasped in awe as the masked man spoke. "My name is Zero. I'm the one responsible the death of Prince Clovis and he was only the first! He carelessly butchered 11s in his quest for dominance, and this is something I cannot allow! I will not stand by idly, as the powerful pass judgment on the powerless." Zero clenched a fist in front of his mask.

Cornelia narrowed her eyes and spoke to a direct link with Villetta. "Cut the transmission."

"We can't Vice Roy. That channel has been overwritten; we don't have access to it at the moment." Villetta regretfully informed, having already attempted to kill the feed.

Diethard watched the masked terrorist with a gleam in his eyes. Zero was the perfect specimen he'd been waiting for; an agent of chaos that could flip the world on its hinges and change the course of history itself.

"Even now, the royals pass judgment down upon the weak and defenseless. I can tell you right now, that one of those girls you see before you is my trusted ally. However, I can also tell you that five of them are not! They intend to murder five innocent lives to take a single one from me!"

"Damn you Zero." Cornelia smashed her fist into the arm of her chair as she was forced to watch.

Kallen did her best to maintain a normal expression. Lelouch really was coming for her! Still she dared not get her hopes up, her odds still seemed incredibly low. However, it warmed her inside just to know that he would go against such overwhelming odds for her, only her.

Zero's voice became very calm suddenly, it was ghostly and rather frightening. "I'm sorry but this, I cannot condone. I'm among you now, in this very crowd. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do this unarmed, but I wonder, how many innocent lives the royals are willing to sacrifice in exchange for mine?" The broadcast cut off as the crowd was suddenly full of bickering and squabbling.

A circle of space was quickly being formed about a hundred feet from the execution block. It was Zero, and he was holding a remote in his right hand, high into the air.

"Beneath this cape I'm strapped with explosives!" Zero shouted, his voice being carried over the news van's speakers. The crowd tried to run but even without all the panic it was very difficult to move anywhere. "Nobody move!" Zero commanded with authority and the crowd immediately stopped in fear. "I'm willing to exchange this remote in my hand, for the release of that woman!" Zero pointed to the second girl in line.

"Viceroy what should we do?" Villetta asked, not willing to make any call without an order.

"Viceroy, this is Captain Waugh. I advise we do as he says, even if we let her go, we can recapture her at any time. I can even have a small detachment of soldiers, including myself follow her. We can end this right here!" Lelouch spoke urgently over the communication unit.

Cornelia shifted her jaw in thought, "make sure you follow her unnoticed. Once she is in away from public eye capture her alive. I'll have some questions for her. After Zero makes the trade, shoot him. I won't tolerate failure here." Cornelia said, all eyes were on her.

"Understood Viceroy." Lelouch responded dutifully.

"Very well Zero." Villetta announced. "We will release the girl." Villetta gave the order and a soldier walked over and within moments released the second girl from the straps and buckles. Kallen looked ahead in awe, her face still restricted. *What could he be thinking? I don't understand.*

The woman ran as soon as she was free, the crowd parted as she sprinted down the street trying to get away as fast as possible.

Lelouch tapped two men on the shoulder and made the motion for them to follow him. They did as instructed and followed the direction the woman had taken. She got turned around in a state of panic and found herself a dead end alleyway.

Zero approached the execution block in front of all the other captives and without another word handed the remote over to Villetta. After she took it in her hand, Villetta shot him in the head.

The people were in shock at what had just happened, a mix of emotions boiled among them. Most cheered, others were rather disappointed that Zero was taken down so easily. It seemed that his statements were correct, the other girls were starting to be released.

Cornelia looked on shaking her head, equally disappointed. She'd been hoping for more of a challenge then that. "Zero.. What an incompetent fool you were."

Lelouch looked at the cross streets of the alleyway and turned his communicator to channel 219. "We need reinforcements at 30th and Walters." He was in luck there wasn't a soul around. The streets were completely abandoned.

Kallen screamed, as she turned around she was confronted by three armed soldiers. Her eyes and cheeks wet with tears.

"Hold your fire." Lelouch shouted, lowering his mask. He looked at the man on his right, "soldier…" The man on his right turned to look at him. "_Don't move._" The soldier was compelled to do as he was told by the power of the king. Lelouch then turned to the other soldier who didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary, his sights still set on the woman. With a muffled rattle Lelouch unloaded ten bullets into the left soldier's chest.

Kallen continued to cry as she felt her knees go weak and her chest tighten. "_Now take this gun and shoot him in the head..._" The geass commanded her as Kallen took the Captain's gun from Lelouch's gloved hand and fired three shots directly into the stationary soldiers face. The bullets connected with a sickening smack, followed by a heavy thud as the soldier's skull cracked against the pavement bellow their feet. Lelouch cringed slightly. It wasn't a sound he cared to ever hear again. Lelouch wanted to close his eyes but he couldn't, he needed to maintain eye contact to keep the woman under his control. Backing away he reached down to grab the gun that lay beside the second dead soldier. Lelouch's heart grew heavy with guilt, sinking all the way down to his stomach.

"I'm sorry Kallen… I'm sorry that I'm the one that has to do this… If I could be born into a different life, I would… I have no idea who'll be kept up waiting for you tonight, or who will mourn you tomorrow. But I do know this..." Lelouch held up the gun with a shaky arm, aimed at the woman's chest. Tears were now falling freely from his eyes. "I would never let them condemn you to a life of torture.. Britannia will pay for this, I swear it." Lelouch closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

Kallen was released from the geass, her eyes widened in shock as the bullets ripped into her, shredding her prison clothes like paper. She could feel all the foreign metal fragmenting inside of her as her body screamed out in silent pain. Her legs could no longer bear the weight of her own body as she fell backwards, staring at the night sky… It was a beautiful night to die. The stars glimmered with burning determination, like a million struggling candles, all alone in the dark. She tried to speak but blood was flooding into the back her mouth. Kallen wasn't sure what she'd wanted her last words to be, she'd never thought about it till now. She just wanted to say something, anything at all. All she could manage was a thick wet cough, an unfamiliar cold steadily spreading up her fragile body. Just as quickly as the pain had set in it began to fade. Her eyelids slowly became too heavy to hold up as she slipped away.

Lelouch couldn't stop his tears from falling, slamming his fist into the brick wall beside him. It didn't hurt, it didn't feel at all, not compared to what he was feeling. This was a million times worse than the guilt he felt from killing Clovis. She wasn't just another chess piece to him, she was a casualty of war, his war. He lowered the gun in his slick gloved hands, to once again rest in the second dead soldier's arms. His legs felt like tree trunks, taking all of the effort in his body just to take a single step.

The world was silent around him, his senses deadened. All he could feel was a steady pressure building in his gut and chest. Lumbering one heavy leg in front of the other, he walked over to the woman on the ground. Her long black hair fanned out like a web beneath her, the gaps of pavement slowly being swallowed by her blood. Lelouch took off the Captain's name badge and mask before resting them on her chest. He felt dizzy, but he had to leave as soon as possible. The pressure still building steadily, he could feel it in his throat now.

As he exited the alleyway, a man was sprinting towards him, a man he recognized. It was Captain Waugh, Lelouch closed his eyes and pressed on. He crossed the street and was nearly a block away before he heard the first gun shot, then the second, and finally the third. Lelouch could no longer hold the pressure in; he collapsed to the ground on one knee and vomited on the sidewalk…

Peeking out from around a corner, a woman dressed in loose white clothing watched him closely. He passed out soon after his collapse. She stepped out of the shadows her lime green hair shining dimly in the moonlight.

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Lelouch looked into the eye of the thief. "_Stop, you're going to listen to me very carefully. You're going to take this remote and duffle bag to the execution just down the street. Stand in a crowded area, but not less than 100 feet away from the execution block. At precisely 9:59 you will hit the button on that remote, activating a recording. As the broadcast plays, you are to put on the outfit in the bag. Once the broadcast is over you will announce that beneath the cape you are wearing explosives, tell no one to move. Then, you will offer to trade that remote for the release of any single person on the execution block **except** for the female in this picture."_ Lelouch held up the picture of him and Kallen Stadtfeld, taken in the student council earlier that day. _"After the woman you've chosen has been released, make the trade."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lelouch looked into the eyes of the Captain_ "I just need a moment of your time, come with me."_ Lelouch made sure to maintain eye contact as they walked out of earshot and line of sight. Which wasn't too far considering all the commotion, after all he only had to whisper to the man. Once away from the crowd he continued, _"you are to follow my instructions exactly. You're to hand over your badge, mask and fire arm. Take this communicator, leave it on channel 219. Find a place to wait out of sight, but stay within a half mile of this spot. When I respond on this channel, you are to rush to the location I give as soon as possible, on foot. At this point, you will find your fire arm, badge and mask resting on a dead woman. After putting on your badge and mask, you will pick up your gun and fire three shots: one in your thigh, one in your gut, and one in your heart."_


	6. Walk it off

**A/N: **First and foremost I own no portion of Code Geass. Sorry it took me a few days to put this chapter up, finals and such : / Thank you all for your reviews and comments, I really appreciate the feedback.

**Walk it off**

Kallen Stadtfeld was looking directly in front of her, the only view allowed by the leather straps that restrained her. In front of her was Zero, holding some kind of remote in his hand. He was offering to trade it for a woman two spaces down from her. *Why would he be trading for some other girl instead of me?* Kallen was confused but clearly Lelouch had a plan, one that she had to trust in at the moment.

The woman in charge of the executions gave the order to release the girl two spaces down. Kallen watched as the freed woman jumped down from the execution block before she left Kallen's field of vision. Her attention was immediately captured by Villeta raising a gun to Zero's face. Kallen was surprised that Zero made no attempt to move or stop the shooter. With a deafening ring, a single bullet shot out of the barrel and pierced Zero's visor. Kallen's eyes widened as she tried to voice a scream but it couldn't be heard through her gag. She couldn't move, even if she wasn't restrained, shock had paralyzed her. Like a nightmare that she couldn't wake from, all she could do was watch as blood seeped out of his mask and onto the execution block.

After some time, the guards walked around and took each of the girls into custody, still in buckles and gags. By the time she was released Kallen could only feel the ache in her heart, knowing that she couldn't thank Lelouch for freeing her, and that he died saving her.

It was after midnight by the time she'd gotten home and had her things returned. All things considered she was let go very quickly, the military must have gotten what they were after. Kallen hung her head as she walked to her room. Sleep sounded wonderful, although she knew it was hopeless, after the night she'd had.

* * *

Lelouch started to regain consciousness; he was in a bed, his bed if he wasn't mistaken. Lelouch slowly opened his dreary eyes to find a woman looking over him. A familiar woman. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were-"

"Dead? If only.. No Lelouch, I'm here to ensure your safety." C.C. cut in, looking around his room as she stood above him. No longer wearing her white outfit with buckles, she was now wearing a plain button up shirt.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" Lelouch asked.

"You may call me C.C. And your identification was in your wallet." She stated calmly, her emerald eyes held so much depth. A depth that was completely lost on her expression, it was like looking at a pane of glass, only with absolute nothingness behind it.

"Wait you went through my wallet?!" Lelouch asked, utterly surprised by her lack of tact.

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it. Not like there was anything in it." C.C. responded, walking over to his personal items she placed on the desk. Lelouch suddenly recognized the shirt she was wearing, it was his. She bent over ever so slightly and it became apparent that she wasn't wearing anything else, as the lower curve of her backside was visible from Lelouch's lowered position.

Lelouch decided to sit up, suddenly realizing that his torso was rather bare. *Oh god, please don't tell me...* quickly he reached a hand beneath his covers to ensure that he was wearing pants. Thankfully he found himself still in his slacks. "Why did you take off my jacket? And is that one of my shirts you're wearing?"

C.C. looked down at the shirt she was wearing. "There was vomit on your jacket. And this shirt was all I could find. Does it offend you?"

"What? No, this is just a lot to take in all at once. Last thing I remember, I was..." Lelouch thought for a moment but his memories were slightly hazed.

"Unconscious, a very reckless move on your part. What if you'd been found there?" C.C. quickly took on a condescending tone.

"That wasn't exactly part of my plan.. Well I suppose I owe you a debt of gratitude. Just as you owe me an explanation." Lelouch looked over at her with an expecting look.

"You don't owe me anything, nor do I owe you anything. All you need to know is that I'm on your side, won't allow any harm to come to you, or that girl." She was walking around picking up random items to examine them. Interested in some things but bored by most.

"That girl? You mean Kallen?" Lelouch asked, still trying to grasp the situation.

"The other girl I gave the power to, if that is her name, then yes. How are you two liking geass so far?" C.C. came back to sit on the bed with Lelouch, her silken legs crossed one over the other. Her scent was a very familiar one, but he couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was it smelled slightly sweet, but organic like rain or flowers. Her overall presence was really quite distracting. The way she just flaunted her body around made it rather difficult to focus on anything other than her for a length of time. That's quite possibly the effect she desired.

"I couldn't have asked for a greater gift. And while I don't know about Kallen's thoughts on her power, I'm as thankful for her gift as I am for mine. Together, we can bring this empire to its knees. To repay them, for the cruel injustices they've carried out on me, my sister and my mother." A dark look of resolve and defiance spread across his face as he looked down towards his white knuckled fist.

"So you plan to destroy Britannia? I just knew you'd be an interesting choice." C.C. looked over to Lelouch with a blank look that seemed to be her default expression. "I can only hope that Kallen will live up to your standard."

"I don't think she'll disappoint she's-" Suddenly bits and pieces of memory started coming back to Lelouch. "What time is it?" Lelouch looked over at the clock, it was nearly 2 in the morning. "It's rather late, still.." C.C. could only watch in confusion as he quickly got out of bed and grabbed his phone. Lelouch flipped open his cell and began typing a text message.

* * *

Kallen was lying nearly naked in her bed, staring up at the ceiling trying to get some sleep. Tears had dried on her cheeks. Thoughts were rushing through her head, not allowing her any peace of mind. With a grating sound her phone lit up and began to vibrate on her night stand. She didn't take her gaze off the ceiling or change her expression as she reached over and picked it up. She opened the message before looking at is as she pulled it in front of her face.

"Hey Kallen, how was your day?"

*What the hell?* Kallen asked herself, *who could seriously ask such a dumb question? On today of all days.* Kallen scrolled down to see who sent her the message. It was Lelouch. Kallen's heart skipped as she read it over and over again, half expecting it to change. Without another thought she rushed to pull on her undershirt, skirt and shoes.

* * *

*It's been fifteen minutes since I sent my text message. Which means that either she is still being held, or the military has her phone... **Or** she could just be sleeping...* Lelouch let out a heavy sigh. *I'm thinking about this too much...* Lelouch could only tap his temples as he tried to clear his mind.

A light knock came on his door, if he hadn't heard a voice on the other end he would have simply thought he was hallucinating. "Lelouch?"

Lelouch tilted his head to the side for a moment, *that wasn't Sayoko..* He walked over to the door slowly and opened it to find Kallen on the other side, looking up at him with tears welling in her eyes.

Kallen quickly grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, relieved to see that he was still alive. Lelouch was surprised but he didn't deny her, lightly resting his hands on her back. After the initial shock wore off she pulled herself away and slapped him, hard. "How could you do that to me?!" Kallen fumed, her soft watery eyes turned to ice in a flash.

"You must be Kallen." C.C. said, still in Lelouch's bed. She stifled a giggle watching Lelouch get slapped. This was going to be fun indeed.

"Oh, Kallen this is C.C. Weird name, I know." Lelouch motioned to the lime green haired woman.

Kallen reared her head to find the green haired witch in Lelouch's bed, with his shirt on. "What the- How did- Wait a second! **What the hell is going on here**?!" Kallen demanded, her tone changing drastically in the last sentence. Her hands placed on her hips and her eyes narrowed.

Lelouch reached a hand for her shoulder trying to calm her down. Luckily Nunnally's bedroom was on the other side of the living room. Still, his sister's hearing wasn't something he wanted to test. "I know it's confusing, apparently she's immortal."

Kallen swatted his hand away from her. "Wearing your shirt?!" she glared at Lelouch, suddenly she noticed Lelouch didn't have a shirt on. Kallen's eyes went wide and turned to C.C., "are you naked under there?" Her wrath turned to the witch now.

"Yes." C.C. stated calmly.

Kallen was taken aback at such a simple response. "W-what? That's not a question you just answer!" Clearly Kallen's biggest concern wasn't C.C. dying and coming back to life.

Lelouch saw the connection Kallen had made. "No no no, we didn't do anything like that.. at all." He looked back and forth between the two girls, things were going downhill at a rapid pace. "Kallen, give me a chance. I can explain everything, well most of it." He admitted, biting his lip. "I'm not entirely sure about her yet." He said waving a dismissive hand towards C.C. He saw the time on his clock suddenly reminding him how late it was. "What are you doing here, this late at night?"

"I got your stupid text message!" Kallen huffed trying to calm down. She walked over to the computer chair and looked at his jacket. "Okay, well I understand why you aren't wearing a shirt now." She pushed the jacket off the chair and sat down.

"I'm sorry, I had to make sure that it was something inconspicuous, in case you were still being held captive." Lelouch was floundering. He looked across his room, on his bed was a virtually naked C.C. and on the other side of the room was a very angry Kallen, who coincidentally wasn't wearing a whole lot either, due to the rush she was in while leaving. A scenario where two nearly naked women were in your bedroom sounded like a dream come true, but this wasn't the case, this was more like a living nightmare.

"And what about her?" Kallen asked looking over at C.C.

"She found me unconscious in the street and brought me here, when I woke up she was wearing my shirt." Lelouch shrugged honestly.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Kallen asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

*My god, why do women have to be so damned frustrating!?* Lelouch covered his face with his hand pulling his hair, "is it harder to believe than a woman dying and coming back to life?"

Kallen thought for a moment. "Well no, I suppose not." She couldn't quite understand why she was getting so upset about C.C. being in his bedroom. *It's not like him and I are dating. But still, we were supposed to tell each other everything and trust each other completely. And he rescued me, just me, he went to all that trouble… I thought we had something, even just a spark of something. Didn't we? Or was this all just one sided?* Kallen hung her head, the fight effectively taken out of her.

"I don't know, this situation is pretty incriminating." C.C. shrugged. Hiding the sheer fun she was having behind her dull expression. She hadn't had this kind of fun in ages.

Lelouch glared at C.C. *If I can just get these two away from each other maybe I'd stand a chance..* Lelouch thought to himself. "Kallen let me walk you home, I'll explain along the way."

Kallen was hesitant for a moment but eventually agreed. Lelouch reached into his closet and grabbed a clean jacket. "Don't do anything while I'm gone C.C."

She sighed in response, suddenly bored and fell back into the bed. She wrapped herself in blankets and didn't say another word.

Kallen's crystal blue eyes no longer held daggers for Lelouch, they seemed more sad than anything. *Was it something I said? How did they both go from mad and amused to depressed and bored in the blink of an eye?.. I seriously don't get women…*

Once they were outside in the night air Kallen regained some of her composure. She still had questions for him after all, being sad wasn't going to get her anywhere. "Still waiting…"

"Where should I start?" Lelouch asked in a defeated tone, he just wanted to survive the night.

"What happened at the execution?" Kallen asked, a more serious tone coming over her.

"I assume Zero was shot?" Lelouch asked, walking at a normal pace for him, which was rather slow for Kallen.

"He was, in the head.. Right in front of me." Kallen looked down, not wanting to relive that moment.

"I used my geass on a criminal to take my place. I gave him very specific instructions, clearly the plan worked." Lelouch said, turning his head, trying to look Kallen in the eye.

"What was the plan?" Kallen continued, trying to match his slow pace.

"To have the stand-in exchange a fake detonator for one of the girls, as long as it wasn't you." As Lelouch was talking he started to feel a pang of guilt, although he was unsure why. The crisp night air breezed through his jacket, in the corner of his vision he could see Kallen trying not to shiver. Without a second thought he pulled off his jacket and rested it on her shoulders.

Kallen smiled slightly and accepted it. "But why not me?" Kallen titled her head.

"Because, if he'd chosen you, you wouldn't be able to show your face ever again. Not at home, not at school, anywhere you went you'd be hunted. I couldn't have that, between the rumors at school between us and the witnesses that have seen us talking more recently. If you would have been a suspect, I would have been a suspect. The outcome of this war depends upon our ability to keep our identities a secret."

"You put that much thought into it?" Kallen raised a brow.

"A good leader doesn't know the luxury of stale thoughts." Lelouch responded raising his chin. "So let me ask you a question. Why come straight to my room? You could have called or even just sent a message back."

"I don't know." Kallen looked down and kicked a small rock as she walked. "I guess I just wanted to see it for myself that you were alive."

"I see," Lelouch nodded, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Do you have any other questions for me?"

"What happened to the other girl? The one that was released?" Kallen asked, glancing up to Lelouch.

Lelouch thought for a moment, then like a brick it hit his stomach. That was the guilt he'd felt earlier, it was the innocent blood on his hands. His mind had blocked out the traumatic event until now. Lelouch grabbed his stomach for a moment trying to ease the pain.

"Is something wrong?" Kallen asked, stopping in her tracks.

"Oh it's nothing, I uh get cramps when I walk too much. I'm sure you noticed in gym that I'm no athlete." Lelouch said with a smirk trying to take his mind off the subject.

Kallen chuckled for a moment, "yeah I don't know how I finished before you. I walked the entire mile, and you- well you actually tried..." She did her best not to put him down, but it wasn't easy.

*She doesn't need to know about that, it will only cause trouble.* "I'm not sure what happened to the girl that night, I was only concerned with your safety." Lelouch had become very good at lying as of recently, the only person he couldn't bring himself to lie to was his sister. She just had a way of seeing straight through him.

"Lelouch, thank you. For saving me, I honestly wasn't sure if you were going to come." Kallen looked away from Lelouch, not wanting him to see the vulnerability in her eyes. They were approaching the Stadtfeld estate, the wind had calmed some.

"Of course I did. You're my Q-1, I'll always come for you.. Still don't make a habit of it." Lelouch sported a playful smirk.

"Right," Kallen smiled sincerely. *Q-1 huh? That's why he saved me. Kallen has no tactical value, but Q-1 does..* Kallen had also become quite well at hiding her feelings when necessary.

They arrived at the gates of the Stadtfeld estate, waiting outside for a moment. There was a strange tension between the two of them, it was undeniable. Kallen stood in waiting, for something, anything from him. Moments that seemed like minutes dragged by, neither of them sure what to do. All they could do was avert their eyes from one another, an awkward state that neither enjoyed. After what seemed like an eternity she caved, anything he did now wouldn't hold meaning anyway. "Well, here's your jacket. Thanks again." Kallen said handing over his jacket.

"You're welcome, I'll see you tomorrow in school?" Lelouch asked, not realizing what time it was.

"Considering I'll have to be up in three hours? Maybe." Kallen sighed, trying to figure out how the conversation became so casual all of the sudden. It just didn't make sense to her. "Night…" Kallen turned around and walked in through the Stadtfeld gates, not looking back.

"Good night," Lelouch said with an unseen wave. He turned to start walking home through the cold night air. He pulled on his jacket; it was warm from Kallens body heat, it also faintly smelled of strawberries. Despite the jacket and lack of wind, somehow it seemed colder on the walk back. Perhaps it was because he realized just what he had done earlier that night, it wasn't a welcomed feeling. Still at least now he'd managed to keep it in check, as long as it didn't affect his appearance he'd learn to live with the burden.

When he arrived home C.C. was still in his bed, although she didn't appear to be sleeping. "You're back, did you have a nice walk?" She asked, not turning to look at him.

"I remember everything now, that innocent girl I killed, with these hands." Lelouch looked down at his hands, as if they had blood permanently stained on them.

"Yes I saw that, it's not uncommon for the innocent to be killed in war. But if you let that one death affect you this greatly then you will most likely die as well." C.C. said with a hint of disappointment. "If you turn back now-"

"I won't turn back, I can't. If I did, the lives lost will have been for nothing, I won't allow that to happen." Lelouch walked over to his closet hanging up the jacket he was wearing. He looked back in C.C.'s direction, "it did affect me, just as it would anyone else. However, I'm coming to terms with it. Nothing will stand between me and my revenge, Britannia will fall." Lelouch said with indifference. He walked over to his chess board and placed his hand on the black king piece, rolling it between his thumb and middle finger. "It would appear that in my deal with the devil, I'm destined to lose my soul.. So be it."

* * *

Cornelia walked down the ramp leading out of her transport. Her eyes were sharp as needles. She was the first one out, not one to wait for an escort. Euphenia and the rest of the passengers slowly made their way out of the transport behind her. A number of high ranking soldiers were waiting to welcome the new viceroy on one knee. "Greetings your highness. It's an honor to have you here."

Cornelia didn't stop where they knelt, forcing them to get up quickly to follow her. "The death of my brother is what brought me here Captain, it wasn't an honor, it was a mistake. A sloppy, incompitent mistake; one that will be dealt with soon enough."

"Of course your highness, I meant no-"

"I want a squad mobilized and ready for orders within 12 hours. We're going after Zero's militia. They still have our Knightmares, a disgrace I intend to rectify."

**A/N: **Okay, another chapter in the books. This one was meant to be a bit shorter than the others. I wanted to set up a few things while literally trying to 'walk off' the innocent killed in the previous chapter, gotta have some fun every now and again : ) Usually at Lelouch's expense but whatever xD Again sorry it took me a few days to post this, I was partially absorbed in an AMV I made. The link to which is in my profile if you'd care to check it out : ) As always, I would treasure a review from you : )


	7. Flight of the Phoenix

**A/N: **I own no portion of Code Geass. Glad to have you all with me, hope you've enjoyed the story thus far and I hope to keep you entertained for a while longer : ) Here's a meaty chapter since you've been waiting for me to finish my finals .

**Flight of the Phoenix**

Kallen was just waking up as she looked at her clock, her eyes only half open. Shock forced her eyes the rest of the way open and a jolt of panic hit her. She was already supposed to be on her way to school.. *Ugh, maybe I'll just stay home from school today.* Unable to go back to sleep Kallen stared at the ceiling. *If I don't go then I'll just sit around here and think about last night for the rest of the day..*

It was a fairly normal morning walking to the Academy. The birds were chirping merrily as the students made their way through the gossip yard to the doors. Lelouch rubbed his eyes roughly while yawning, last night had taken a toll on him. Between rescuing Kallen and dealing with her afterwards, he only got about two and half hours of sleep. Despite this he was still rather early to school. He'd always strived to be punctual. There was a strange scent lingering in the air around him, he leaned into the collar of his jacket and realized that he'd grabbed the jacket that Kallen had been wearing last night. It still smelled faintly of strawberries.

"Did you hear about Lelouch and Kallen?" A snickering girl inquired. The small group of students surrounding her was slowly getting larger and larger. Apparently the two of them were a hot topic of conversation this morning.

"No! You have to tell me everything!" Another girl squealed as she practically jumped in excitement.

"They were seen in the private showers together!" The snickering girl continued. The eyes of her listeners threatened to fall out of their sockets.

Lelouch grimaced, *I'd forgotten about that entirely..* A familiar hearty slap on the back derailed his thoughts. "Hello Rivalz..."

"So I heard about you and Kallen! You really are the man Lelouch." Rivalz was lost in his thoughts for a moment, trying to live vicariously through his friend.

"It's not like that Rivalz. That whole situation was a misunderstanding." Lelouch said calmly shaking his head.

"Who would have thought that Kallen would have been so easy?" Spoke one of the girls from the circle. Her hair was blue pulled back into a tight ponytail.

Lelouch winced for a moment, "I'll be right back Rivalz." Before his friend could realize that he'd left, Lelouch made his way towards the gossip circle.

"Oh you're just jealous 'cause Lulu always turns you down." The circle broke up into laughter.

Lelouch approached calmly, "what's the news over here? Something funny?" He asked maintaining perfect composure.

The blue haired student suddenly went beet red, she was completely humiliated just knowing that Lelouch had heard what the others had said about her. The rest of the circle made their best attempt to bottle the laughter for a moment.

"Doesn't hold the same effect when you're on the brunt end of the joke does it?" Lelouch paused for a moment allowing the circle to realize how serious he was. For a single uncomfortable moment he had their attention, and that was all he needed. "_Perhaps you shouldn't busy yourselves in the affairs of others_." With a casual smile Lelouch returned to Rivalz who was paying more attention to the Prez who had just walked up to the front gates. *Great, just who I wanted to see...*

Milly greeted Lelouch with an over exaggerated wave. "Hey Lelouch! Why don't you join us?" Lelouch quickly complied and made his way over to Milly and Rivalz. He wanted to close the distance quickly because he already knew what Milly had to say and he'd prefer her not to shout it across the court yard.

"So, you have to tell me the scoop on you and Kallen. Are you two official yet?" Milly asked reaching an arm around both Lelouch and Rivalz as they walked together. Rivalz was melting like butter under her touch but she didn't seem to notice, her attention was fully focused on Lelouch.

"We aren't even unofficial actually." Lelouch said holding up his mask of complete indifference. "That was all just a misunderstanding. You know how these students jump for gossip." He frowned in distaste as they walked down the halls of the Academy.

Milly leaned over to get closer to his ear as they continued down the hall. "What about her visit last night?" She asked quietly.

Lelouch felt like he'd just tried to swallow a boulder, incapable of dislodging the lump in his throat he sharply glanced over at her. "How much do you know?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"That she entered the building at 2:16 AM, stayed for about twenty minutes and then you both left for about forty five minutes, finally you came home alone." Milly talked very quietly, barely even audible to Lelouch. Luckily Rivalz wasn't asking any questions, he wasn't even aware that he was beginning to drool. "Sounds remarkably like a booty call." Milly giggled.

"But ho-how could you possibly know that?" Lelouch asked completely baffled that the Prez of all people had caught him and Kallen. *Does she know what was said? Was there a witness I didn't see? I may have to use geass on her, but first I need to find out who else knows.*

"You seem to forget that I'm the daughter of the Ashford family. Everyone that comes in and out of this building is recorded, for security reasons." Milly winked, "don't worry though, your secret is safe with me. I'll admit that normally I'd blab this to the world, but I know this could actually land you in some trouble-"

Lelouch calmed, it wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought. "Wait a second, are you saying that you were spying on me? There's no way that you were watching the attendance logs at that time of night." Lelouch narrowed his eyes rather playfully, this time it was him who had the Prez on the run.

She just flashed her usual smile, "so you caught me, I'm always on the lookout for some dirt on you. I just never dreamed I'd get a bite like this." Milly laughed. "We can talk later Lulu, class is about to start." She released him from under her arm and looked over at Rivalz. "Rivalz you have a little something, right here." Milly said taking her right arm off of him and raising her thumb to her chin, rubbing it lightly.

Rivalz snapped out of his hypnosis and looked up at Milly, "huh? What?" He felt the drool on his chin and quickly turned away wiping it on his sleeve. "Oh that, sorry.. I uh-umm I-I'm allergic to peanuts." He managed to get out with a dead serious look on his face.

Milly stopped walking entirely and blinked a few times, trying to figure out what that had to do with anything. "Wha-"

"Catch ya later Maddam President!" and with that Rivalz was off in a flash to catch up with Lelouch. Leaving Milly standing there, scratching her head.

Lelouch sat down in his seat. *At least I have history today, a class I can sleep through.* Lelouch thought to himself as he rested his head in his hand. As his eyes started to get heavy the bell rang. Jarring him slightly he opened his eyes for a moment, Kallen wasn't in class today. Her seat had been taken by someone else. *I suppose she wanted to sleep in.* He thought to himself.

"You going to sleep Lelouch?" Rivalz whispered, noticing the position he'd taken.

"Remember we're even." Lelouch reminded him.

Reisdorph stood from behind his desk, placing the model of a knightmare he'd been busy with on his desk. It seemed like it was an expensive model, it was rather elaborate. "All right everyone, settle down. I'm taking attendance, wouldn't want to accidentally mark any of you absent eh?" He chuckled to himself like he usually did. Lelouch always thought the professor fancied himself a comedian in front of a captive audience. "Seems like we are only missing.. Kallen Sta- why do I even bother." The professor shook his head and walked back over to his desk. "Today class, we'll be discussing the humanoid autonomous armored knight." He said, raising the incomplete model above his head in an iron grip with his fat fingers. "Better known as... the Knightmare frame!" His eyes were bulging and his smile was ecstatic.

Lelouch's eyes shot open. *To think that I could get a minute of sleep with Reisdorph yelling was naive. Still at least this topic relates to me.* He shrugged.

"This single invention has changed combat as we know it. Turning a single worthless soldier.. into an army for glorious Britannia!" Reisdorph bellowed as he turned to hold the model towards the flag. "Meaning that each and every one of you, could single handedly change the outcome of an entire war. Isn't that exciting!? Just think, with the arsenal this beauty has to offer, a single soldier is more than a match for those monkeys that would dare rise up against our great nation." The professor looked over his model with great affection, as if it were his child. "The only thing that hinders the Knightmare frames success is its energy output. If only we could-" The professor's eyes went wide with ambition, "that is today's homework! I want each of you to come up with ten possible ways to fuel a Knightmare frame. You can split into groups or work individ-" The professor stopped mid sentence seeing who was at the door.

Kallen stood at the doorway somewhat out of breath. She'd hurried as quickly as possible while still acting sickly. Surprisingly enough walking quickly can tire you out almost as much as running. Once she realized what class she was late for her spirits lowered. She started to enter the room slowly, bowing her head.

The professor raised his hand motioning for Kallen to stop. "No need to hurry Ms. Stadtfeld. After all we wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself on our behalf. We can wait until you regain your breath, these hallways are rather vast aren't they?" Reisdorph sported a big, toothy smirk. He waited with the rest of the class for her to ease her breathing, it was dead silent.

Kallen clenched her jaw, quickly regaining her breath. She began to walk towards her seat but noticed the spot had already been taken. Looking around the room to find an open seat, the only one she found was at the front of the class. *Damnit..*

"That seat should suit you just fine Ms. Stadtfeld. If there's a medical emergency, rest assured our clinic staff will take good care of you." Reisdorph stated, turning around to look at the board.

Kallen was enraged, she'd had enough of this stogy little man giving her hell at every turn. *I'll teach you to mess with Kallen Kozuki..* Kallen glanced over to his name plate and bowed her head slightly so her bangs would cover her face. "Thank you professor, I'm _happy_ to be here." She said with the slightest hint of a smile on her lips and a magenta glow in her eye.

"Why thank you! I'm very pleased to have you here as well Ms. Stadtfeld. Just having you in my classroom brightens up my day." The professor turned to have a sincere smile on his face and a twinkle in his hazel eyes. "This class suffers without your contribution."

"I'm _sad_ to hear that." Kallen continued.

The professor winced as his smile quickly turned into a devastated frown. He collapsed with a hand over his heart. "I-it's just s-so depressing." The professor started to openly weep. The rest of the class exchanged glances but shrugged, figuring that Reisdorph was just being himself, just a little crazier. "W-why did you have to have b-be b-born with that illness while ev-everyone else-" The professor was lost in a sob, no longer able to voice himself.

This caught Lelouch's attention. The first time was questionable but now it was undeniable. Kallen was using geass on the teacher, in front of the class. *What the hell is she doing?! I have to- no I can't, I already used my geass on him. Damnit, Kallen what could you be thinking?* Lelouch was forced to sit back and watch as the events unfolded.

Everyone was looking at Kallen as she was looking back completely baffled. She shrugged her shoulders at the classmates looking at her. "What'd I do?" She asked aloud, the professor still bawling on the ground. His arms wrapped around himself in a tight hug.

"I dunno, but say something, try to cheer him up." Rivalz shrugged as well. "I mean you two have always had this weird tension, maybe you just snapped him?" His guess was as good as anyone's when it came to Reisdorph. He was about as predictable as a bat in a ping pong arena.

"Umm okay... Professor.. I know I don't have a life that many _envy_, but really I'm okay." Kallen was playing it off perfectly, no one suspected that she was actually controlling the professors emotions. Who would believe such a ridiculous thing anyway?

The professor sobs cut off. He looked up at Kallen, his cheeks red and tear stained. He pointed his chubby index finger directly at her head. "At least you have hair! You have beautiful thick hair, and I'm- I'm balding!" The professor stiffled a sob as he reached for his own head. "I want HAIR!" The professor was sitting in the middle of the floor, his short legs sprawled out and his fists pounding into the ground. He seemed like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

"_Trust_ me professor it's not all it's cracked up to be." Kallen said, trying to balance the professor out.

"Yeah, you're probably right." The professor said quickly. He stood up, staring at the wide eyed students. "Now where were we in our lecture?" The professor looked back at the board not remembering his emotional roller coaster. He saw the model on his desk and his eyes widened, "that's right! The Knightmare frame! You will all learn to respect this man made miracle!" He spun around in a wide stance, bent over while holding the incomplete model out in front of him for everyone to stare at. The students were all speechless as Reisdorph held that pose for a good twenty seconds. Just as the professor opened his mouth to speak again the bell rang. The professor didn't move, looking around the room with a cocked brow, confused as to why the students were looking at him with such awe.

The students all grabbed their bags, eyes still wide, and shuffled out of the classroom without a word. Once out in the hall Lelouch felt like he'd just had a heart attack.

"How about the professor huh?" Rivalz laughed. "Some days I actually look forward to that class."

"Indeed, he seems like the type to take his work home with him. Still even for him, it was a strange day." Lelouch laughed as well. He had to play it off casually, even though there was no evidence, acting out wouldn't help him any.

"Male PMS, when it hits, it hits hard." Rivalz shrugged. "Well I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat, catch ya later." As usual he ran off before Lelouch could say goodbye.

Lelouch waited outside the class room for Kallen, he needed to have a few words with her. She walked out very casually, as if nothing had happened. "Kallen, let's go get some food." Lelouch said, not even bothering with phones. He didn't have the patience to play the subtle game.

Kallen looked up at Lelouch somewhat surprised. "O-okay, let me just stop at my locker real quick." She said feeling uneasy; she already knew what he wanted to talk about. Her locker wasn't too far away as he walked with her, she could feel his violet eyes burning into her. A feeling that wasn't welcomed by Kallen Kozuki, after all between the two of them, she didn't have to act sick. She shot him a defiant glance, "so where do you want to go?"

Lelouch thought for a moment, it needed to be someplace private… *Great, as if there wasn't enough evidence piling up about the two of us as it is.* Lelouch didn't say anything but started walking in the direction of his wing. Unfortunately the halls weren't as crowded as they were yesterday, meaning that it would actually draw attention for them to go to his quarters. Lelouch sighed as he pulled out the key and opened the door, he walked in quickly and waited as Kallen did the same. Lelouch could hear the students snickering briefly before shutting the door.

They walked down the grand hallway, which was empty as usual, until they reached the section set aside for the 'Lamprouge' family. Lelouch used his key and opened the door, inside Sayoko was sitting with Nunnally reading a book.

"Lelouch you're home early." Nunnally said slightly confused.

"Yeah, we're just here for some lunch. We can't stay long." Lelouch said, quickly walking over to his sister to give her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. "Is that a good book?" He asked, always able to find some time for his little sister.

"It's cute." Nunnally smiled up at him. "Who'd you bring with you?"

"Do you remember Kallen?" He asked sweetly. "We're just going to have some lunch."

"Oh, well that sounds nice." Nunnally said softly.

"I'll say goodbye before I leave." Lelouch smiled, at least his sister didn't give him trouble about Kallen. He walked over to his room and led Kallen in, shutting the door behind him. He resumed his gaze on Kallen as she stood in front of him, she wasn't afraid. "What were you thinking?" Lelouch started calmly, his hands opening quickly in a frustrated gesture. Something was off about his room, he looked towards the bed and noticed a couple of pizza boxes beginning to build up.

"Honestly, I was thinking he's an ass hole." Kallen responded.

Walking over to the bed he opened boxes, the first was empty and the second was half gone. *Did C.C. seriously eat a whole pizza and a half?* Lelouch was shocked. *Worse than that, where'd she go? Damnit, I don't have a way of getting a hold of her. I'll have to set some rules when I see her next.* He looked at Kallen and she seemed to be waiting for something, luckily he remembered what she said. "Well yes, he is. And that justified using geass on him?"

"I didn't know I needed justification." Kallen arched her brow. "Tell me that you haven't used geass on people outside of missions. Hell you used it on Reisdorph too." She was clearly not taking any crap from him at the moment.

*Is she still mad at me for something?* Lelouch thought to himself. *She has a point.. Still, this is a struggle for power. While she is my queen, she needs to know her place.* Lelouch looked up at her, his purple eyes flickering with embers inside. "Yes I did, but I did it with some common sense in mind. Not just brainwashing the teacher for the hell of it."

Kallen sighed. "Look, I get that it wasn't a good idea. I'm not stupid, and I'm not going to do it again. I didn't endanger the mission and you didn't have anything to lose anyway. Isn't that enough for you?"

*I didn't have anything to lose? Is that what this is about?* Lelouch tilted his head for a moment, like a hound that had just caught the scent of a suspect. "Of course I had something to lose."

"Yeah your precious Q-1" Kallen sneered, looking away towards the pizza box. "And I'm taking a slice of this pizza." She said with spite.

Lelouch laughed, "that **is** what this is about.. Kallen, Q-1 had no place in that classroom. That was you, while Q-1 is my most valuable piece, it's just a title without you. The truth is, Kallen is what makes Q-1 irreplaceable." Lelouch watched for a moment judging her reaction. She softened for a moment, causing a smirk grow over his lips. *I've got you now, wrapped around my finger.* "Listen Kallen, there's something else we need to talk about. We've been the center of a lot of talk recently, clearly this isn't desirable for either of us. I think it may be in our best interest to appear to be dating." Again Lelouch watched, judging her reaction.

"What?!" This came as a complete shock to Kallen, suddenly she couldn't take her eyes off of him. A full field of butterflies aloft in her stomach now. "Are you serious?"

"Do you have someone else you're pursuing?" Lelouch flashed a playful grin.

"What? No," Kallen lowered her head, feeling slightly ashamed for some reason. "I don't, but-"

"It will quiet all the rumors around us; we'll become boring to the other students. Girls will finally leave me the hell alone and it won't seem strange that we spend so much time together." His amethyst eyes now seemed to clear, as if welcoming her to look deep into them.

Her cerulean eyes were still wide with shock. "Well I don't know. I never thought about it like that.. I guess-"

Lelouch laughed again, "Kallen don't take it so seriously, we don't actually have to date each other. It's just a mask for the public to see, we won't need to do much more than we already are. We could probably sell it just by holding hands." *However, the fact that you are taking it that seriously ensures my victory. All tasks at hand have been cleared.*

Kallen bit her lower lip, "okay."

* * *

Cornelia came to the bridge of the command ship. Even though she was inside, it seemed like a gust followed her wherever she went. "I want a report Captain, how long until my forces are ready to move?"

The Captain saluted, "we are nearly finished with the preparations viceroy. The Knightmares are all charged, we just need to top off their ordinance and they will be ready to launch."

"Very well, leak it to the media that we are going to be launching an assault on the Saitama ghetto and the surrounding area in search of the stolen Knightmares." Cornelia said with authority.

"But your highness, if we tell the media the terrorists-"

"I'm fully aware of that Captain. We are in a fragile position at the moment. The people are undoubtedly beginning to sway from Britannia with that stunt Zero pulled about us killing the innocent. By giving warning of our attack it cleans our hands of killing any civilians, if the elevens choose to stay where they are that's their problem. As for the terrorists they have three options. It's possible that they could show up again to try to save the ghetto, in which case we destroy every last one of them. Another option they have is to run, but moving that many Knightmares will be obvious and again we kill them. The last option they have is to wait it out hoping we don't find them, by far the worst idea but still possible." Cornelia wouldn't even grant the Captain the privilege of eye contact as she looked over to Euphemia, who remained with her for safety. "We even have a trump card should the terrorists prove to be more of a match than anticipated."

The Captain was in awe, clearly she wasn't known as the Goddess of Victory for nothing.

* * *

Lloyd stood beneath the Lancelot looking up at his beauty. "Has he finished the simulators yet?" He asked, holding a hand over his eyes to shade them.

"Yes he has. He scored remarkably well in all categories." Cecile responded, slightly surprised that Lloyd's choice had proven to be such a strong candidate. "We got the go ahead to be on standby for the siege on the Saitama ghetto."

"Splendid! Finally we'll get the chance to collect some data. What did I tell you? I know how to pick a devisor." Lloyd flashed his huge grin as the pilot opened the cockpit and stood from the seat. His face looked much better than it had in the hospital. The burns were healing quickly, thanks to the biomedical technology available to soldiers.

* * *

As the news spread quickly Jeremiah was listening in to the transmission. His eyes went wide, "this is my chance! My chance at redemption! I'll show my loyalty to you Lady Cornelia, you'll see." Because he was temporarily suspended from service he didn't have access to a Knightmare, but that wouldn't stop Jeremiah Gottwald.

* * *

Kallen had just finished her third slice of pizza leaving only one to Lelouch. Her phone started to ring in her pocket, startled slightly, she pulled it out. "It's Ohgi, our old leader." Kallen said to Lelouch who was sitting in his chair fiddling with the chess pieces on the table.

Lelouch looked up with a confused look, "so why not answer it?"

Kallen shook her head frustrated, "Hello?"

"Kallen I'm so glad you're alright. I would have called sooner but I didn't want to risk it." Ohgi said relieved to hear her voice.

"Thanks to Zero I am, what's going on?" Kallen asked, sensing something more urgent.

"You should turn on the news. Cornelia is sending a squad to come find us." The relief was gone, Ohgi was clearly worried.

Kallen looked over to Lelouch and motioned him to turn on the TV. He complied and gave her the signal to hang up. Kallen looked at him confused; she covered the receiver end of the phone. "What?"

"Tell him you'll call him back, after you discuss things with Zero." Lelouch said, switching his attention to the TV.

"Now how was I supposed to get that out of this?" She said, mimicking his hand gesture. He paid no attention to her as he continued to watch the broadcast.

"Ohgi, don't worry. I'm going to get a hold of Zero, he'll have a plan for us."

"Zero? Zero's dead Kallen, we all saw it. Yourself included." Ohgi said confused.

Lelouch repeated his hand gesture, Kallen sighed angrily. "I'm sorry Ohgi I don't have time to explain. I'll call you back soon." She hung up and came to the front of the TV.

"In just three hours the Saitama ghetto will be attacked. As it is a known place to harbor terrorists and Princess Cornelia believes that the remnants of Zero's rebels are hiding within the ghetto. This is a warning to the occupants of the ghetto, if you don't want to be caught in the crossfire, evacuate immediately."

Lelouch shook his head, "how cowardly Cornelia. You make an announcement to draw out the rest of the terrorists, hiding the slaughter of elevens behind your righteous crusade."

"At least they're giving the civilians the chance to escape." Kallen said sadly, remembering the attack on Shinjuku.

"Just another veil to hide behind." Lelouch picked up the white queen. "She's just trying to keep her hands clean. The civilians of the ghetto have nowhere to go, are they supposed to just grab everything they own and leave in three hours? Even if they did run, they wouldn't be able to escape the battlefield. Cornelia won't stop at Saitama, she'll continue until she finds us. Her tactics are no different than Clovis', she just happens to be smarter. We have no choice but to fight." Lelouch looked down to his chess pieces. *I never expected you to put me into check this quickly sister, you haven't lost your touch.*

Lelouch pulled out his phone and dialed the team contact. "Is this Ohgi?"

"Yes, is that you Zero?" Ohgi asked, astonished.

"That is correct. Can I assume that you are all still at the warehouse?" Lelouch asked picking up the black knight piece. A thought crossed his mind, but he put set it aside for the moment.

"Yes, but we can't stay here for long. Cornelia will start the attack soon, we have to come up with a plan." Ohgi said.

"Do not move. That is exactly what Cornelia is after; she's trying to push us out of hiding. Stay there until I arrive, Q-1 will be with me." Zero hung up, standing from the chess table to walk to his closet. Luckily he'd already made a spare outfit for himself, just in case the first was lost. "Kallen, this is going to be a difficult battle. I can't make the promise that I did in Shinjuku, not everyone will survive this time."

"I know Zero," Kallen responded.

"I'm glad you understand, I was hoping to save the speeches for the rest of our team." Lelouch grinned as he packed away the Zero costume into a grey duffle bag. Once packed, they made their way out of his room. Nunnally was no longer in the living room. "I'll be right back." Lelouch said handing the duffle bag to Kallen. She was slightly surprised that he took the time to say goodbye to Nunnally, he really was a good person. Or a good brother at the very least. "I'll be home late tonight." Lelouch said to his sister shutting the door behind him. He let out a large breath as he reached for the duffle bag. "Let's go."

They neared the warehouse when Lelouch spotted a familiar face. It was Jeremiah Gottwald, he recognized him from all the newscasts about how he had abandoned his post. Lelouch watched him for a moment; he seemed to be searching for something. Lelouch raised a brow and grinned. *Another perk to selling your soul to the devil I suppose. Fate happens to find itself on your side more often than not.* "Kallen do you see that man over there?" Lelouch asked casually.

* * *

Todoh was sitting on his knees, the traditional position for Japanese warriors. His sword lay horizontally in front of him. A single man approached him from the side, whispering into his ear. "No, we will not be assisting Zero's rebels. At this point they are not worth the risk of our soldiers; a snake without a head is of no use to us."

* * *

Jeremiah continued to walk the area when a flash of color caught his eye. He turned his head ever so slightly and saw a masked man, it was him, it was Zero! Jeremiah could hardly hold his excitement, he only saw Zero for a moment before he disappeared into a warehouse. Jeremiah looked up at the address 1600 East 32nd. *That's it! That is where the rebels are hiding! I must tell Cornelia right away.* Jeremiah quickly got into his car and drove to the command point where Cornelia was waiting to strike.

Zero stepped into the warehouse where Kallen was waiting with the rest of the team assembled. "I have returned to retrieve my winnings." Zero said with dramatic flair.

"So you are the same Zero." Ohgi said with awe.

"I told you that already." Zero stated plainly.

"But how did you-"

"That was not a term in our wager. Nor do we have the time for such explanations. Cornelia's troops will be here within a half hour." Zero said confidently.

"A half hour!?" Tamaki shouted. "The news says we have two more hours."

"Once she discovers our location she will charge us. The only reason she's waiting is to make us sweat." Zero replied.

"Yeah, and how's she going to find our position smart guy?" Tamaki asked.

"Because I tipped her off-"

"What the hell?! Why would you do something stupid like that?" Tamaki started moving towards Zero violently, fist clenched.

Kallen stepped in front of him, "let him finish Tamaki." Kallen's voice was stern and serious.

Lelouch smiled beneath his mask. *Yes I've done it, she's completely loyal to me now.* "Are all twelve Knightmares still operational?"

"Most of them are, two of them still need of major repairs though." Ohgi responded, still willing to hear what Zero had to offer.

"Very well, strap those two with explosives and drive them into the abandoned warehouse up the street. With the close proximity it's unlikely the enemy will see such a slight movement." Zero gave the command, yet no one moved.

"Do as he says," Ohgi ordered. With Ohgi's go ahead the terrorists followed Zero's orders and began rigging explosives to the damaged Knightmares. After everything was set they drove the Knightmares to the warehouse up the street. The address was 1600 East 32nd. The streets were completely empty, no one dared venture outside. With such little warning all the elevens could do was hole themselves up in their homes and pray for a miracle.

*So that leave us with ten Knightmares, against the remainder of Cornelia's fleet.* "Kallen, how much time do we have?" Zero asked walking over to stand with her and the rest of the group now.

"Ten minutes." Kallen responded after checking the time.

"Very well then, you all have your groups and numbers. Don't expect an easy victory over Cornelia's troops, she is nothing like Clovis. However, once we emerge victorious we will go down in history. We will be immortalized by our actions today! We shall bring change to the world and this is our first true test! Steel yourselves, this will separate the warriors from the weak. Japan was taken from us through bloodshed, and only through bloodshed will we win her back. This battle will send a message to rest of the world, our hour of glory begins now!" Zero shouted. This time his words were met with thunderous applause.

"Yeah Zero!" Tamaki cheered. Getting into the cockpit of a Sutherland. "Let's kick some Britannian ass!"

Zero, Kallen, Ohgi and the others slowly rode up the cables that lifted them to their cockpits. Kallen looked over to Zero, who nodded in response before closing the cockpit hatch. Once the pilots were all in their Knightmares they activated their comm units and began to boot up. One by one they hummed to life, they weren't perfect machines anymore but they'd have to do.

"They're beginning to amass outside of the warehouse Zero. I count ten units-" A voice came over the communication unit. It was a scout that had been placed in a nearby elevated building.

Gunfire was echoing throughout the warehouse, even down the street it was as if the gunfire was upon them. *Perfect, that means that Cornelia didn't suspect a thing.* "Very well. All units prepare for formation." Zero took off his mask, ensuring it wouldn't hinder his combat abilities.

"Roger." Was the unanimous response over the comm.

With a smirk Lelouch hit the detonator to the explosives. The blast consumed four of the attacking units, in the confusion the remaining six were easy targets for the ten terrorist Knightmares. In a flash of explosives, gun shots and harkens the attack squad was destroyed.

"Destruction of target units confirmed. P-3, P-4 hold that course and steadily advance from the warehouse, prepare to put up a barrage. R-1, left flank. R-2 right flank prepare for ambush. B-1 Northwest 200 meters. B-2 prepare explosive rounds and advance 100 meters Northeast. P-1, P-2 reinforce the flanks and cover R-1 and R-2. Q-1 your with B-2. I'm with B-1. Enemy numbers are estimated to have at least twenty units remaining." Lelouch let out a sigh, this wasn't the day to wage war. His two and half hours of sleep were sure to affect his abilities.

Cornelia responded by sending three teams together, each team consisting of four units. One to charge straight forward, while the other two teams guarded their flanks and prepared for an ambush from the sides.

*You still think that we're just a mindless group of terrorists sister?* Lelouch thought, watching the formation on the move. "R-1, R-2 faint back. B-2 advance north another 200 meters. When the targets are in sight fire explosives then fall back. B-1 after the shot is fired attack from the blind side. Q-1 break off from B-2, move back behind P-3 and P-4. Once B-2 attacks collapse on the enemy. R groups come in after that."

Cornelia's soldiers advanced until attacked by an explosive round. Quickly they locked onto the target and returned fire, B-2 took extensive fire before B-1 could counterattack. The first enemy was off guard and fell to a swift melee strike from behind, B-1 quickly fired bursts into another enemy unit before P-3 and P-4 came from the south. Followed shortly after by Q-1. Twelve units quickly became seven units.

"Defensive positions! Guard all sides, return fire!" Cornelia heard over her communicator unit aboard the command ship. She seethed with anger, "they are perfectly organized! Quickly dispatch the royal guard, attack from both flanks. Guilford and Jeremiah you two remain with me and protect the ship, I'm coming to the front lines."

"Princess Cornelia, I beg of you, please leave these rebels to me." Guilford replied, chivalrous as usual.

"Do not fear for me my knight. I have yet to be bested in Knightmare combat and I surely won't fall here. Euphemia pull the command ship back, we can't afford for it to get caught up in this." Cornelia commanded.

"Yes viceroy." Euphemia responded giving the order to pull back.

"And tell Lloyd to launch his Knightmare as soon as possible." Cornelia added.

"Right away your majesty!" Lloyd jumped in on the channel, having been listening the whole time, he was just waiting to give the order. "You hear that? Lancelot prepare to launch!" He shouted gleefully.

"B-2 resume firing explosive rounds, they've begun to phalanx. All other units pin them down with ranged fire, stick to cover. This group cannot hold out much longer." Lelouch looked down at the radar, Cornelia had dispatched her royal guard to come deal with them. There were only four defending units remaining so the royal guard wouldn't arrive in time to save the defending units but they would still cause trouble.

"I can't keep this up, I'm taking too much fire! B-2 ejecting." With a roar from the thrusters he was shot backwards to safety. The Sutherland he abandoned exploded moments later.

"R-1, R-2 switch to explosive ordinance. Finish off the group before the royal guard arrives. Q-1 are you ready?"

"Hold on that R-1, R-2. Wait till I'm clear." Kallen's body was pumping straight adrenaline as she danced with her Sutherland. There was no denying her combat skills. Dodging harkens while returning accurate bursts to the heads and torsos of the defending units. Still her close range abilities were her strongest. Cleaving units with melee blades, sidestepping volleys of bullets while firing harkens. WIth only two units remaining she backed out. "Alright R group I'm clear." Suddenly the remaining defending units burst into flame from the explosive artillery fired by the R group. "I'm ready Zero."

"Lancelot launching." Suzaku said with a solemn voice. "Just wait your highness, I'm coming." With a blast of energy and a screeching of tires the Lancelot took off at full speed.

"Full speed right out of the gate!" Lloyd cheered from the ground, having been knocked over by the blast. "Cecile how is everything running?"

Cecile pulled up the figures on her computer. "Everything looks to be working correctly, although energy consumption is a bit high."

"Well it's not like he has to fly all over the place, the enemy is concentrated in a single spot." Lloyd said confidently.

With unmatched speed the Lancelot reached the left flank, R-1 and P-1. Before they even noticed it was there P-1 was destroyed by harkens. "Zero this is R-1, a new Knightmare is on the field, it's fast!" the terrorist reported quickly, launching harkens at the enemy after all it was far too close to use artillery rounds. The Lancelot evaded easily and fired a barrage into the torso of R-1, before he could eject the Sutherland exploded.

"I'm sorry, I had no intention of killing you. This Lancelot unit really is amazing, it's reaction timing, it operates so smoothly." Suzaku said gazing down at the instrument panel.

"Damnit we've lost R-1 and P-1. All units pull back to the warehouse, immediately we'll set up defensive positions there. Q-1, prepare the open channel."

Suzaku watched the radar as the enemy units began to pull back to a location. "They're setting up a defensive line. I'll just have to smash right through them." He flipped switches in the cockpit and the Lancelot blasted off again. "I'll meet up with the royal guard just north of their encampment, from there we will break into formation to strike." Suzaku said over the comm unit.

"Roger that Lancelot, we'll hold position until you arrive." The royal guard responded. Within moments the Lancelot arrived at front lines with the royal guard.

"All units prepare artillery." Zero commanded.

"Artillery are you kidding me? The royal guard will be on top of us in seconds if we fire artillery!" Tamaki shouted.

"Be silent! Now ready the artillery. Q-1 it's time." Zero ordered with a stern voice.

"This is the Red Lotus, Cornelia I will crush you! You're an enemy of the crown!" Kallen shouted over the open channel.

"What?" Cornelia asked. "What nonsense are you speak-" She was interrupted by an explosion to her right.

"What th-" Guilford began as another explosion cut him off.

She looked over, Jeremiah had crushed the arms of Guilford's Knightmare. "Jeremiah what is the meaning of this?!" Cornelia raged.

"I will vanquish you here Cornelia. Now face me, Jeremiah Gottwald!" With a final strike to Guilford's Knightmare the legs gave way. With only the turret in the chest to fire Guilford shot off bursts at Jeremiah's back.

Jeremiah maneuvered himself to put Cornelia between him and Guilford. After all, Guilford was still loyal to the crown, he merely needed to be immobilized.

"How dare you Jeremiah! You betrayer!" Cornelia hissed.

"Go help the Princess, I can handle the rebels." Suzaku said grimly. Hearing the battle on the comm unit the royal guard quickly turned to help the Princess.

"All units, FIRE artillery!" Zero bellowed.

Suzaku was able to evade the incoming fire but wasn't able to warn the royal guard of the attack. Artillery rained down in waves upon the backs of the majority of the royal guard. One by one, falling to the rain of explosions.

"Now all units switch to melee and spread out, aim for the torso, eject as soon as you're struck. Q-1 you're with me." The units did as they were told and began to spread out.

"You coward!" Suzaku screamed, racing towards the first unit. Once he was at close range the harkens were simply unavoidable.

"P-3 eject!" Zero shouted as he raised his rifle to the back of the unit. As the pilot was ejecting Zero fired at the empty Knightmare shell turning it into a small explosive.

In a sudden reflex Suzaku activated the shield unit barring off the explosion. "What?! You're shooting at your own units? How could you?"

"All units the only way we are going to make it out of this alive is to wear it down. That shield can't last forever!" Zero was beginning to panic. He'd already used his trump card, not expecting Cornelia to have one of her own.

"Understood!" The terrorists responded with zealous.

One by one the remaining units slowed down the Lancelot before ejecting, the unit behind them setting off another explosion into the Lancelot's shield. "You're running out of units, and I'm running out of energy." Suzaku slammed his fist against the side wall, watching his charge quickly depleting. "At this rate.. No, I have to continue, even if it means I can't make it back."

Jeremiah was a valiant fighter but he was no match for Cornelia. With a vertical swing she clipped off his right arm, using the continued momentum she did a full body rotation, her lance poised at the cockpit of Jeremiah's Sutherland.

Zero and Q-1 were the last remaining units as the Lancelot charged towards them. "Stay facing towards the enemy lines Q-1. We wouldn't want to eject into enemy territory."

Kallen took in a deep breath, "go Zero, I'll slow him down enough for you to escape." Without acknowledgment she stopped, allowing the Lancelot to catch up to her.

"Which makes you the leader!" Suzaku shouted firing a harken at Zero's Sutherland striking at the waste. Zero's Knightmare fell in two pieces, the cockpit landing on its side, making it impossible for him to eject with any kind of thrust. Yet he couldn't simply get out now, not with the Lancelot staring him down. For the time being he was stuck.

"Get the hell away from him!" Kallen roared. While Suzaku's attention was diverted, she struck with a precise blow to the extended arm of the Lancelot. The shield unit activated causing the Sutherlands arm to crush under the weight of its own swing. With its energy limit reached the shield finally gave way. Realizing this, Kallen took a quick swing at the Lancelot's head, knocking it off balance. Kallen didn't have the time to destroy the Lancelot with only one arm, surely reinforcements were on the way. Instead she turned and rushed to Zero's side.

Zero opened his cockpit and climbed into the arm of Kallen's Sutherland. "Until we meet again, white knight!" With his cape fluttering in the wind Zero bowed to the Lancelot conceiting defeat.

Although they could escape, Kallen's Sutherland was in worse shape than the ones they blew up in the warehouse. It's gears grinding angrily, she no longer had any type of display panel, just endless amounts of error messages.

"Damn you Cornelia, if it wasn't for that white Knightmare I would have crushed you!"

* * *

"Now then Jeremiah. We're going to get to the bottom of this." Cornelia said looking down upon Jeremiah who was bound in prisoners clothing.

**A/N:** Alrighty then. Next chapter down, sorry if the combat was confusing for a moment there, I tried to make it clear without sounding bland. Please review, it's the only reason I put my work on this site, is for the feedback. Plus, it gets me motivated to start work on the next chapter that much sooner! ; )


	8. Hotel Getaway

I don't own Code Geass or its characters (although I suspect Pizza Hut might)

**A/N: **Greetings faithful readers. I hope the wait wasn't too long. Thank you all for your reviews, I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you. Now then onto the story.

**Hotel Getaway**

It had been two days since Lelouch and Kallen made the deal to pretend to date each other, but they'd also had the last two days off. So today was their first day as a couple... Kallen stood a mere twenty feet outside of the Ashford Academy gates. She looked around, trying to look busy by messing with her phone. She clicked back through her text inbox to review the most recent message from Lelouch. It read: "Meet me outside the Academy gates before school starts." Kallen exhaled nervously.

Lelouch walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Startling her some, she whipped around to see him standing there with a slight grin. "Glad you showed up. You didn't respond."

Kallen chewed on her lower lip slightly, her deep red hair draping in front of her face. "Um yeah, I wasn't really sure what to say back." She still felt nervous about the whole ordeal. Even though it was an act, if it was going to be convincing, she'd have to play her part well. Dating wasn't exactly something Kallen knew like the back of her hand. She'd been on dates before, but rarely. Between her over protective brother, and fighting Britannia, her life didn't have a lot of room for social events.

"Okay, would have been just fine." Lelouch chuckled to himself. Noticing Kallen's discomfort his expression turned slightly serious. "This is an important task Kallen. While our success may not hang in the balance, how easy that success will be to achieve is at stake. Don't fail me." In the snap of a finger it was as if he was no longer Lelouch, but Zero. He knew exactly how to manipulate her. Lelouch was just another boy to her. Zero, on the other hand, was her leader. While they held the same identity they held entirely separate personas. One that he changed so often it was difficult to tell which was the mask and which was flesh.

The tone he took roused Kallen's courage. "Understood." She said with a slight nod. Lelouch extended his hand, which she took. His palm was sweaty and firm. Even though his expression was unwavering, she could tell it wasn't easy for him either. Hand in hand they walked into the courtyard of the academy, awkward as it was. Who knew it took so much thought to just hold hands, or perhaps that was their problem. Quickly there were fingers being pointed and gasps voiced.

"Ahh! They're official now." A man yelled out, he sounded fairly defeated. Most likely because Kallen was the unicorn of the school. While many had tried, none could succeed in catching her. She was as ephemeral as she was beautiful.

As they continued Lelouch looked down to see how Kallen was taking all the attention. She looked ready for a fight, apparently the blush trying to flush her cheeks was only combatable by the warrior Kozuki. If she continued to look like that it wouldn't seem very convincing. Lelouch nudged her with his shoulder. "You know, you can smile. Unless dating me really is that much of a burden."

Kallen looked up at him with his seemingly sincere smile. She managed the most natural smile she could and let go of his hand. She wrapped an arm around his left shoulder and rested her head for a moment on his other shoulder. "Not at all." Kallen had even surprised herself with how simple that gesture was. If she could just find a way to relax, this plan was actually feasible. They made it about halfway through the courtyard before everyone suddenly lost interest. They returned to their circles and found juicier bits of gossip to busy themselves with.

Lelouch could see at the open doors of the Academy stood the student council. Milly, wearing an all knowing look of 'I told you so.' Lelouch smirked and rolled his eyes. Standing next to Milly was a shocked Rivalz, his hand locked in his hair. Beside him stood Shirley, she wore a mix of emotions. Part of her was utterly devastated seeing Lelouch with Kallen, on the other hand she seemed slightly happy for him. Nina stood off to the side, shy and silent as usual. Lelouch reached his arm around Kallen's waist and whispered into her ear. "This is it, if we can fool them that will clear all current objectives." She nodded and took a deep breath as they approached them.

"You two love birds ready for the big trip?" Milly asked with a smile and a wink. Now that Lelouch and Kallen were coming out in the open about their relationship, they were fair game.

Lelouch looked to Kallen who looked equally surprised. "Big trip?" He asked, glancing at the student council president.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Milly pretended to be upset. "We're going to Lake Kawaguchi, we'll be staying overnight at a hotel there."

Lelouch had forgotten, the president had told him about the trip a while ago. It skipped his mind to inform her that he couldn't go considering the last few days had been rather hectic. "I'm sorry but I won't be able to attend this time-"

"I won't take no for an answer Lelouch. I've already bought the tickets and as the vice president it is your duty to accompany the group. We already bought Kallen's ticket as well." Milly smiled.

Kallen's eyes widened, there was no way that she could go. "What?! But I can't go, I have-"

"Classes? Already taken care of, it's a school sponsored event so you are both excused from all classes for the next two days. Unfortunately the hotel reservations were made before you joined the student council, Kallen. We reserved a two single bedrooms and one with two beds. Me and Nina will be in the double, while both Shirley and Lulu have their own separate rooms. So I'd suggest rooming with Shirley." Milly shrugged.

Kallen looked over at Shirley who seemed to harbor no good thoughts of Kallen. Sure while everyone was looking at her she was as pretty as a peach. But as soon as everyone looked away she'd catch just glances of anger and envy. *Just perfect. I don't want to bunk with Milly, she's a pervert. But if I don't room with Shirley, my only option is..* Kallen's thoughts drifted to Lelouch as she went nearly catatonic. Sure play dating was one thing, sharing a hotel room, that was a code red. "You couldn't get another room? I can pay for it." Kallen offered.

Milly sighed, "sorry, tried that already. Some big political group is having some kind of event there the same day, they booked the rest of the suites. I'm just glad we reserved the rooms when we did."

Kallen cast her eyes towards the ground. "I see." She looked back up to Shirley. While the thought of sharing a room wasn't pleasant, the thought of sharing a bed was much worse... At least she had some time to think it over.

Lelouch thought about the arrangement for a moment and realized a name was missing from the room assignments. "Wait a second, Rivalz, you got out of this?" He asked, a flare of jealousy behind his words.

Rivalz chuckled and pulled Lelouch in close to whisper, "it's a hotel trip with the Prez. Do you really think I want to miss this?" His face was dead serious. He pulled away to speak aloud to the rest of the group. "Yeah that Reisdorph has me in lock down. He said I'm a disgrace to the academy, the homeland and humanity in general.. I even have to ask for permission to go home... I guess my parents agreed it was best for me.."

Kallen winced, feeling his pain. "I'm sorry Rivalz. I'm sure you'll be free to do what you want in no time." Her tone was in no way convincing.

"So are you guys ready or what?" Milly asked tapping her foot impatiently as the school bell rang. With that sound Rivalz got a look of horror on his face as he sprinted off without another word. Bringing her attention back to Lelouch. "We are on a schedule after all."

"We don't even have a change of clothes." Lelouch responded, holding his hands up in testament.

"Well get going! We need to be ready for the carpool to the train in half an hour." Milly shooed them away with a hand gesture.

Lelouch shrugged, "where do you want to meet back up? Here? I shouldn't take long."

"Well it's going to take me fifteen minutes just to get to my house. Is there any way I can get a ride and we can just leave from my place?" Kallen asked quietly, still trying to play up her sickness.

"That's fine. What are you waiting for Lelouch? RUN!" Milly cheered with a smile. Lelouch grumbled and did as he was told.

Lelouch reached his room in great time, for his standards. He quickly pushed his way inside to find C.C. eating pizza on his bed, wearing next to nothing as usual. "Good, you're here. Where did you go the other day?" He asked while going to his closet to grab a spare change of clothes.

"Out." C.C. responded between bites. The total amount of modesty in her could be balanced on the head of a pin, not even caring to button up her shirt. Even a light breeze would leave her completely exposed.

Still, Lelouch had more important things to focus on. "Well, don't. What if one of us needs to get a hold of you? Besides you can't just go running around campus. Do you know how many people are looking for you?" He grabbed the clothes and started to shove them into his duffle bag. He looked at his Zero costume hung up behind the rest of his clothes. Contemplating whether he should take it or not, *I suppose I should bring it, after all in the worst case scenario I can use my geass on the entire student council. War doesn't take holidays and I can't afford to expect them.*

"I know exactly how many actually. Don't think you can trap me, little boy. I'll do as I please. Don't worry about me getting caught. If you really need to get a hold of me, call me here. Your sister and your servant are both aware of my presence." C.C. said lazily, finishing off the last slice. "Pizza..." She looked at the empty box, still hungry.

"That would work fine, if you were ever here." Lelouch shook his head as he zipped up his bag.

"Fine then when you need me to, I'll stay. But don't expect me to mope in this boring room all day while you're at school." C.C. fell back onto of the bed, her shirt no longer covering her scarred breast. "So where are you going?"

"To Lake Kawaguchi, it's about two hours from here." Lelouch looked back towards her, noticing her shameless nudity. "Is it entirely necessary to dress like that?" He was frustrated, by dating Kallen he'd finally found a way to stop girls at school from throwing themselves at him. And yet, somehow he saw the opposite effect taking place on C.C.

"I do what I want," she responded casually. Although Lelouch rarely saw her, C.C. more often than not had an eye on either him or Kallen. She wasn't about to allow such strong candidates slip through the grates. She also noticed recently that by finding one of them, she'd usually find the other. C.C. decided to perceive this as a rather interesting challenge. Back when she had geass power she could make anyone love her, unconditionally. Because of this, the one thing she'd longed for was someone to love her without that false influence. With Lelouch this proved even more of an obstacle as she could see him falling for Kallen. Getting him to push past that feeling for the red head and love her instead was going to be far from boring.

"Stay by the phone." Lelouch said while walking out the door. He hadn't expected anything to happen, but he was going to be hours away from home, better safe than sorry. Hurrying out the door he made his way down to the gates where everyone else was still waiting for him. "Alright, I'm ready to go."

Once they were all in the van they sped off to Kallen's house. Milly drove while Nina sat in front, in the back row Lelouch was in between Shirley and Kallen. Shirley did her best to keep her eyes towards the window, trying to take her mind off of things. Kallen's phone vibrated, she pulled it out to realize she'd gotten a text from Lelouch.

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Lt. Colonel Kusakabe stood in one of the dining halls of the hotel with a large number of loyal soldiers in fatigues. "How are things progressing? Is the Raiko prepared?" He asked stirring the drink he held in his left hand.

"Nearly sir, we expect to be ready to take hostages within three hours."

"Understood, inform me when everything is complete so we may send out our list of demands."

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The train ride up to the hotel wasn't much different from the van ride. Although Nina seemed a bit worried, travelling outside of the Tokyo settlement. Milly looked to her with sympathy, "don't worry Nina. Everything will be okay, we're all here with you." Nina did the best she could to shake her fear and smile.

"So we are getting close to our stop, what are we going to do once we get there?" Lelouch asked. His duffle bag secured beneath his seat and behind his legs.

"Well the first thing we have to do is check into the hotel. After that we can go out to the lake for some fishing, maybe a picnic." Milly was excited, how she loved school events. "It'll be nice to just relax and take a break from all the exams and homework."

"You've got that right madam President." Shirley chimed in with a smile. Either she was starting to come to terms with Lelouch and Kallen or she was masking it very well. "So tell me Lulu, when did you Kallen get together? It all seemed so sudden." Shirley placed her gaze upon Lelouch who was watching the scenery in the window fly by.

"It was rather sudden, we just had a chance to talk on the roof a few times and we hit it off really well. We exchanged phone numbers and started talking outside of school. Then, we started seeing each other more often. A few days ago she asked me to get some food and I was hungry. When I got there she had flowers for me and asked me to be her boyfriend." Lelouch never took his eyes off the window staring off as his vision doubled. Finally he looked over to Kallen who was a mix of mortified and ready to explode from anger. "Isn't that right dear?" He hid a smirk in his eyes, one only Kallen could see.

"Yeah you should have seen the look on your face when I asked you," A devilish yet sincere smile replaced her embarrassment. "Then you took me to see that cute movie and cried on my shoulder." A slight pout crept over her lower lip. "That's when I knew that I'd made the right choice." She tilted her head up and kissed him on the cheek and snuggled closer to him. If he wanted to play hard ball she was game.

"Lulu! You cried? How adorable is that? I've never seen that side of you!" Milly was ecstatic with joy. "You two make the cutest couple ever. You're both just so sweet and fragile." She giggled to herself.

Lelouch laughed awkwardly, not really wanting to continue playing. "Yeah, you know us Pres." The train slowly came to a halt and everyone looked out over Lake Kawaguchi. It was beautifully simple, at the base of a mountain with a hotel that rested in the middle of the lake. The only way to get to it was to cross one of three folding bridges that led to the towering hotel. It must have been nearly fifty stories tall, it was a sight to behold. Everyone grabbed their luggage and walked off the train.

Once they checked in the group walked to the elevator. Milly pressed the button 35th floor and they began their steady climb. Kallen was looking back and forth between Lelouch and Shirley, she had to make a decision and soon. Looking at Shirley it didn't seem that she was mad at Kallen anymore, on the contrary she seemed rather happy. So instead of complete silence and awkward tension the night promised to be full of manicures and questions about her and Lelouch.. *That's why I hate Britannians, always prying into everyone else's' business.* It wasn't the only reason, just the most recent one. Kallen could think of a million reasons to hate Britannians from the way they dress to the way they breathe. Still she was beginning to feel a connection with the student council, one day she may even be able to call them friends.

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"Everything has been prepared Lt. Colonel. We're ready to begin sweeping the floors." A soldier reported to Kusakabe.

"Very well begin from the bottom, work your way up. Split into teams for each floor. Let's get this done quickly." The Lt. Colonel ordered.

"Yes sir."

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The bell chimed, signaling that they had arrived at their destination. "Well this is our stop Lulu, your room is on the next floor. With reservations as packed as they were, we weren't able to get all the rooms on the same floor." Milly said taking a step out of the elevator. "So you're rooming with me right?" Shirley asked in Kallen's direction.

"Well umm I was wondering if it'd be okay for me to stay in Lelouch's room?" Kallen asked feeling all eyes slowly shift to her.

Shirley's eyes went wide. "You're going to share a room with Lulu?"

Kallen lowered her head. "Well it's just-"

"Don't worry I understand," Milly winked as she wrapped an arm around Shirley and Nina. "Come on everyone let's get our luggage put away so that we can start this vacation!" Milly dragged Nina and Shirley out of the elevator. One by one they shuffled out of the elevator and walked down to the three rooms they'd reserved. The double bedroom was on the west side while the single bedroom was directly across the hall.

Lelouch was also rather shocked by this move, he didn't expect Kallen to want to room with him. He pushed the button for the next floor, after a moment the door opened again. Was this another extension of their game? Was she just trying to make him crack? "Well let's hurry, don't want to keep the Pres waiting." Lelouch walked to their room, the last door at the end of the hall. He opened it with his card key and walked inside, holding the door open for Kallen to follow. "So is there a reason you chose to stay with me?" Lelouch asked, now free to show his discomfort.

"What's the matter? Thought you wanted to prove to everyone that we're together." Kallen shrugged, still playing her part. "I couldn't think of a better way to get that across then by sharing a room."

"I'm fairly certain they bought it after you kissed me on the cheek." Lelouch sighed, placing his duffle bag in the closet.

Kallen laughed, "don't tell me I embarrassed you." Her voice was condescending. "Aw that's cute."

"I am **not** cute." Lelouch replied grimly. The air stood silent for a moment, a silence which was broken by a cracking sound followed by muffled yelling. Catching both of their attention they heard crashes as the doors down the hall were one by one being kicked in by soldiers.

"Come on, let's go. As of this moment you're our hostages, don't make us shoot." The soldier's voice could be heard from their room. Soon they would come to Lelouch's room.

Lelouch looked around quickly, noticing the layout of the room. Once you opened the door immediately on your right was the bathroom. His mind was racing like a well oiled machine. The crashes were getting closer. "Kallen, get into the bathroom and leave the light off. When they come in they'll pass the door to grab me. If you can neutralize them do it, if not, come out and surrender. We'll figure things out from there." Kallen didn't say anything as she quickly ducked into the bathroom. Lelouch grabbed a set of headphones from his bag and quickly put them on before turning on the living room light. He sat at desk in the back of the room facing away from the door and waited.

Not long after he sat down he heard his door get kicked in, he simply sat there bouncing his head back and forth as if he was listening to music. The first soldier looked to the second, "I guess he didn't hear us."

"What are you waiting for, go grab him." The second replied sharply. "This is the last room, so hurry." The first soldier complied and moved forward to grab Lelouch by the shoulder. Just as he was about to reach out he heard a gasp for air and a loud popping sound. He turned around to see his comrade hit the floor as a red headed girl held a gun aimed at his head before a single round fired off.

Kallen leaned against the wall of the kicked in door to listen to the hallway. It was quiet, she peeked out quickly in both directions to ensure no one was left in the hallway. "We're clear."

"Well done Q-1." Lelouch stood up, removing his earphones and went to his duffle bag. "Get changed." Quickly Lelouch stripped down and began putting on his Zero outfit.

Kallen rested the gun on the bed and before grabbing her bag as well. Inside was the Black Knight uniform he'd given to her. The rest of the squad should have received theirs in the mail. "Never worn this before." She said pulling off her shirt without hesitation.

"Well I hope the measurements you gave me were right." Lelouch responded pulling on his cloak. He flipped out his phone and dialed his home phone. It rang several times but no one answered. "Damnit where is that witch?!" Lelouch hung up and dialed Ohgi.

After two rings he picked up, "Zero?"

"Correct, did you get the boxes I sent you?" Lelouch asked in a hushed yet hurried tone.

"Yes we did, the uniforms have been handed out to everyone." Ohgi quickly replied, sensing his urgency.

"Very good, I want you and whoever is immediately available to come to meet us at Lake Kawaguchi. We are going to need plenty of smoke. We are in the hotel, call me when you're close."

"Understood Zero." Ohgi responded. He hung up his phone and looked around him. "All right everyone suit up, we have our next mission."

Kallen was now fully dressed with gun in hand. "What's the plan from here?"

"We simply have to find a soldier to take us to the commander. These guys aren't Britannians, they're Japanese." Lelouch said placing his mask over his face.

"Then doesn't that make them our allies?" Kallen asked, keeping an eye on the door.

"The moment they took innocents hostage they lost our support. We have to make a stand to show the world, and this will be the perfect stage." Lelouch gave Kallen a signal to move forward. She took a step outside the door, followed closely by Lelouch.

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"Lieutenant Colonel." A soldier saluted. "We have the hostages all detained down the hall. We're ready for your announcement sir."

"Very well." Kusakabe said, picking up his phone.

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"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford called, "we have a situation."

Cornelia turned her head. "What is it my knight?"

"The JLF has taken hostages at a hotel on Lake Kawaguchi."

Cornelia turned entirely to face him. "That's where Euphemia is.. Damnit, deploy the closest Knightmares, get Asplund on the phone. His toy seemed rather useful in our previous operation. And get me a transport immediately, I'm going to be taking charge of this matter personally."

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A knock came at the door of the Lieutenant Colonel's. "Yes what is it?"

The door opened to reveal Zero and Q-1 standing in the doorway. "My name is Zero." The soldiers in the room raised their weapons. "I can assure you we will not shoot. Q-1, drop your gun." Kallen did as she was told, Kusakabe instructed his men to lower their weapons.

"Very well Zero." The Colonel said inviting Zero to sit down in front of him. "I heard you were killed."

"Well it's a good thing the Britannians are honest in media." Zero said raising one leg to rest on the other. *Perfect he has no problems holding a conversation with me. Now I just have to draw this out until Ohgi calls.* Kallen stood behind him keeping a close eye on the soldiers in the room.

In the room down the hall all the hostages were on their knees, soldiers walking around them constantly. Shirley, Milly and Nina were huddled on the edge of the circle holding onto each other. Nina looked up at the soldier walking near her, "Eleven."

The soldier was outraged looking down on the Britannian brat. "What did you call me?" He grabbed Nina by the collar and lifted her to her feet. "We're not Elevens, we're Japanese!" Nina flailed and tried to squirm away from the man.

A woman with lime green hair was blocking Euphemia's view. Hearing the commotion she stood to remove her glasses. "Put her-" She was cut off by the deafening ring of gun fire.

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Lloyd looked up at Suzaku in the cockpit of the Lancelot. "So your orders are to eliminate any threat in the tunnel system bellow and to destroy the support pillars in the foundation of the hotel. Did you get that?" He asked with a hazy smile on his face.

"Yes I understand." Suzaku looked up to the hotel. "I will save all of you. I swear it." Suzaku sat down and sealed up the hatch to the cockpit. "Lancelot prepared for launch."

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"So tell me Kusakabe, what do you intend to prove with this act?" Zero asked.

"It will send a message to the world saying that Japan will not be beaten so easily. We will never die." Kusakabe responded raising his fist into the air, followed by the rest of his soldiers in the room.

Zero looked down at his cell phone, Ohgi was calling. "Fear not, a message will be sent to the world tonight. A message that will give Japan both hope and strength." Zero stood up as the soldiers eyed him suspiciously. "Unfortunately, it won't be delivered by any of you. Now, _Die." _The soldiers all raised their firearms to their temples and pulled the trigger. "Quickly Q-1, while most of their forces were here, they will send reinforcements. Guard the door." Lelouch walked over to the window to see where Ohgi was waiting.

Kallen looked out the door to see C.C. coming towards her. "What the hell? Where'd you come from?"

Lelouch looked back over his shoulder to see C.C. walking through the doorway with blood stains and bullet holes in her white prison garb. "I've been here all along. I couldn't let the two of you come all the way out here by yourselves for two days. I have to ensure that no harm comes to either of you." Not only could they have been in danger, but Kallen would have Lelouch all to herself.

"Is that blood yours?" Zero asked without much concern.

"Some of it. The hostages are safe, one was killed, but the rest are fine. They are waiting for you." C.C. motioned for Lelouch and Kallen to follow her.

"How did you get them all to wait there?" Kallen asked lowering her firearm.

"Humans are incredibly easy to manipulate." C.C. said coldly. The three of them reached the room where all the hostages were waiting. They were clearly less afraid, now that the terrorists had been killed. Few of them noticed Zero from the news.

"Oh god it's him. We're all going to-"

"No, no one else is going to die here today." Zero said charismatically. "I am Zero, I stand for justice. All of you here are innocent and as such, are under my protection. Let me make a final preparation and I alone will see you all to safety shortly. My subordinates will continue to search for remaining terrorists." Zero looked out the window to see Cornelia and her guard waiting across the main bridge. It seemed they weren't aware the Kusakabe had been killed yet. Nor had they noticed Ohgi and the others who lay waiting in hiding. He motioned for Q-1 and C.C. to follow him out of the room. He flipped open his phone to call Ohgi back. Yet again, after two rings he answered.

"Yes?"

"Change of plans. While your participation isn't currently necessary, I do still need all of you present for the closure of this operation. We'll be out in a moment." Zero hung up the phone and pulled out a recorder device he always kept with his Zero costume.

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"Viceroy, we have confirmation that the Lancelot is prepared to destroy the supporting columns. Should I give the order?" Guilford asked Cornelia, who was standing atop of her Knightmare.

Cornelia eyed the structure for a moment, there didn't seem to any activity in the upper floors anymore. "Yes Guilford- wait!" She cut herself off seeing a large group of people coming out the front of the hotel. "How could this be?" She looked closer and saw that same masked man that they'd killed just days ago. "Damnit, I don't know how but he beat us to it!" *Are you betting that I'll take mercy on you after you release the hostages Zero? I will give you no such luxury.*

The news crew caught onto the fact that Zero was among the crowd and zoomed in on him. Diethard was among the news crews covering the event. He nearly choked on his own spit when he saw Zero in the middle of the pack. "It's him again? But he was killed! Everyone keep that broadcast steady, don't lose focus on him. Get a mic out there now!"

"Cornelia! I return to you the hostages that you were unable to save. Among them,sub viceroy Euphemia." Zero drew back his hand to reveal the princess alive and well.

"Just what are you after here Zero?" Cornelia spat out.

"I am Zero. Citizens of the world, fear me or rally behind me as you see fit. I am the leader of the Black Knights, and we stand for justice! The Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe had taken these innocent Britannians hostage in a cowardly grasp for power. And for his crimes, we mercilessly executed him! Just as I killed former viceroy Clovis for the murder of countless Japanese. I cannot afford to do battle with Britannia on level ground, but this world cannot afford more meaningless bloodshed and no longer can I bear witness to it. Those of you with power, fear me. Those of you without it, rally behind me. Together we will stand in judgment of this new world!" The hostages ran away from Zero with relief.

Milly and Shirley looked around the group as they ran past Cornelia. "Lulu, Kallen where are you?" Milly shouted, she spotted Kallen quickly. "Kallen, over here!"

Cornelia looked down on Zero who stood alone walking past her, towards where Ohgi and the others were hiding. "Hold it right there Zero. You think that by saving these people it will wash away your crimes? Even if you are a different man than the one we executed, by dawning his mask you carry his fate." Cornelia drew her long barreled pistol from its holster and aimed at Zero's head. "You think you can humiliate me?" Zero looked up towards Cornelia as she pulled the trigger three times in quick succession. The bullets pierced the visor and knocked Zero to the ground.

Diethard slammed his fist into the side of the van. "Get a close up of this. If this is the last we see of him I want to have the best coverage possible!" The camera's zoomed in on the masked man as blood drained through the bottom of the mask. The hostages gasped in horror, not believing that Cornelia would do such a thing. In the confusion Kallen stepped back from the crowd for a moment while their attention was diverted.

Ohgi's phone began to ring, it was Kallen. He picked up the phone, "Kallen what do we do?" Ohgi asked still trying to get a good look at what had just happened.

"Did you bring the smoke bombs?" Kallen asked in a calm voice.

"Yes we have them here." Ohgi replied, confused by Zero's plans as usual.

"Get ready to use them on the signal." Kallen hung up the phone and returned to the crowd.

Cornelia looked down on Zero with a grave smile on her face. No matter who donned the mask of Zero, she would hunt down and kill every last one of them.

Kallen looked through the crowd and spotted Lelouch who was watching with something barely noticeable in his hand. She quickly grabbed him and pulled him over with Shirley and Milly.

To everyone's disbelief Zero slowly rose to his feet. Every looked on in horror as the man who had just been shot in the face, still bleeding from beneath his mask, stood upright. "So you finally see Cornelia. You can never defeat me. For I am immortal!" Zero raised his right hand to the sky and snapped his fingers. Ohgi realized that as a signal and let loose the smoke bombs. Quickly Zero was lost in the confusion. When the smoke cleared he was gone as were Ohgi and the rest of the Black Knights.

Diethard was drooling with the monitor in his hand. As usual Zero didn't disappoint.

It seemed Milly was on the verge of wetting herself as she turned to face Kallen, Lelouch and Shirley. "OH MY GOD did you guys just see that?!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Todoh watched the TV with interest, along with the four holy swords. A messenger quickly approached them. Todoh raised his hand knowing what was to be said. "It's been confirmed then, we'll be sending the Guren Mk II to Zero and Black Knights."

**A/N: **Whew next chapter down. Hope you all enjoyed it : ) If you have a moment I'd love to hear what you think about it. Until next time…


	9. Breaking Point

**A/N:** Greetings friends. Good to have you for the next chapter as we draw slightly closer the half way point of season 1. Thank you to all who reviewed and helped me break 100 reviews, I greatly appreciate each and every bit of feedback. So here's the next chapter, buckle up.

**The Breaking Point**

The student council members were returning from their trip early because of all the commotion at the hotel. Having only been on vacation for a few hours before everything turned sour, they were all rather disappointed. With their rooms all broken into they were forced to leave. Granted they had about as much excitement as they could ask for, still no time to relax. At least they were given a refund by the hotel, although knowing Milly, the money wouldn't last long.

Kallen and Lelouch hid their emotions well, but both could tell the sheer enthusiasm behind their facade. Zero had claimed to be immortal, and in doing so created an enormous uproar. In the people's eyes Zero was a great, but misunderstood hero. The ride back to the Tokyo settlement was full of recollections and reenactments. Kallen and Lelouch sat together, leaving Milly and Shirley sitting across from them.

"So how do you think he did it?" Shirley asked the group while looking through the window beside her, out into the night sky. "I mean it had to be some kind of trick right? You guys don't really believe that he's immortal do you?"

"It all seemed pretty real to me." Lelouch shrugged casually. "I just don't know how anyone would even begin to fake something as elaborate as that." Alright he admitted it to himself, he was bragging, still no one knew about it except Kallen.

Milly sighed, she couldn't help but have a bit of a crush on the man. He single handedly, well almost single handedly eliminated all those terrorists, saving her in the process. She'd always had a soft spot for the dramatic type. "I wonder who he really is? I bet he's some dreamy hottie... Kallen you were the closest to him did you see anything?"

Kallen had to force herself not to smirk about Milly's comment. If she only knew that Lelouch was Zero, what would she think then? "All I saw was some blood coming from his helmet." Kallen shrugged and turned towards Lelouch. "Maybe you're right about him though Milly . What do you think Lulu?" She teased him with her breath, gently brushing against his ear. She'd grown a fondness for giving him a hard time via romantic gestures, oddly enough they were becoming more and more natural for her to perform as well.

Lelouch looked over at Kallen quickly. "What, why are you asking me?" He was taken aback for a moment, even if he had nothing to do with Zero, he had no idea how to answer the question. "You don't even know how old he is, he's probably at least thirty. Or if he really is immortal, he might be hundreds of years old."

"And eternally young..." Milly cooed, her voice losing its foundation. "Sounds like the perfect man."

Kallen laughed she couldn't help it, the more she tried to hold it back the harder it came out. Fortunately they had reached their destination and were forced to exit.

They grabbed their luggage and found the van they'd left in the parking lot. Shirley sat up front with the Prez this time around, while Lelouch and Kallen were given the privacy of the back seat. It was getting late, none of them had seen a wink of sleep that day. Which was exactly why Milly was the prime choice for a driver, it was hard to believe the woman knew what sleep was. Lelouch as well didn't require much sleep these days. The same could not be said for Kallen however, the city lights that flew by were hypnotizing as she felt her eyelids become heavy. Her head rested on the back of the seat for a short time, before rolling over to Lelouch's shoulder. He glanced over as he noticed she'd fallen asleep and softened his posture. Kallen let out a pleased sigh and snuggled closer to him.

There it was again, the scent of her shampoo invading his senses and fogging his mind. What was this unfamiliar feeling? His worries, tactics, everything seemed to fall away when she was this close to him. It was no less frightening than it was welcomed. This alien influence that told him the rest of the world didn't matter, not for that moment in time anyway. He looked down to examine her unusually soft features, she seemed so at peace. He couldn't help but use his free hand to gently guide a crimson lock from her face, regardless of whether the offending strands bothered her or not. Her skin was soft and warm. Even in her sleep Kallen moved into his touch, making his hand cup her cheek. This was getting dangerous, this wasn't supposed to happen, least of all to him.. He would have to break her off when playing the role of Zero, he couldn't afford to be making reckless mistakes for her protection. It hadn't even come to that yet and his judgment was already being altered. Time also seemed to be affected as Milly broke the silence.

"Kallen you want me to just drop you off at your place?" Milly asked over her shoulder.

How long had she been laying there? Minutes? Hours? Days? Lelouch had no idea, but it seemed like seconds.

Kallen roused and opened her eyes, letting out a soft yawn. "Sorry what?" She then realized, just how intertwined she and Lelouch had become. Her arm was wrapped around his, her cheek nuzzled into his shoulder. Something told her she should sit up, but it was quite dark and she was surprisingly comfortable. He didn't seem to object, so she wouldn't either.

"I asked if you wanted me to drop you off at your house." The president repeated.

"That would be great, thank you." Kallen responded kindly, she'd begun to warm up to the group. Maybe all Britannians weren't bad, just an overwhelming majority.

"So what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Milly asked with anticipation. "After all, we still have the day off. We might as well make the most out of it!"

Lelouch thought to himself, tomorrow he would have to get back together with the Black Knights and discuss his plans for the future. It's about time they started acting a bit more organized, but what excuse could he give? Not only for him but for- "Kallen would you care to go on a date tomorrow?" This caught Shirley's attention, since when did Lelouch ever act so forward with girls?

Kallen was caught off guard as she looked in his direction. "Umm sure, that sounds great Lulu." Not really understanding what he was planning, she just went along with it. Deciding to be slightly bold, she moved her arm, still wrapped around his, farther down his forearm until she found his hand. Lightly she brushed over his palm with her fingertips, but he seemed hesitant.

As Zero he had to be cold and callous, unforgiving and remorseless.. but as Lelouch.. He warmed to her touch and spread his fingers so they could intertwine with hers. Kallen's heartbeat quickened ever so slightly at his acceptance. Strange, they'd done it several times before, yet it still felt like uncharted territory. This time she'd done it to feel his warmth, not to embarrass him or hold up appearances in front of others. The darkness had a kind of honesty it bestowed upon those that took refuge within it.

"Alright fine you two are out. Shirley, looks like it's gonna be a girls day!" Milly seemed just as pleased with this scenario anyway. She pulled up in front of Kallen's house waited for a moment. "Here we are Kallen."

"Thank you again." Kallen smiled, even though it couldn't be seen, it could be heard in her voice. Hesitantly she let go of Lelouch and exited the van. Lelouch watched her sleepily walk up to her front door step and enter her house.

"So Lulu what are you guys going to do on your date?" Milly asked playfully.

"A gentleman never tells." He responded with a smirk on his face. Milly squealed as they continued towards the Academy.

"What I wouldn't give to be a fly on your wall." Milly dazed off for a moment before Shirley brought her attention back to the road.

Lelouch chuckled to himself at the thought. Before too long they were in front of the Academy all dragging their feet to get inside. "Good night you two." Lelouch waved over his shoulder and broke off to go to his wing. Upon opening the door to his room he found C.C. sitting, not lying, on his bed. She seemed annoyed for some reason. "Is getting shot in the face that big of a deal?" He joked.

C.C. shook her head with distaste. "You do realize what you've done don't you?" She had a kind of fire in her eyes he'd never seen before.

"Tricked billions of people into thinking that Zero cannot be killed." Lelouch said coldly while taking off his jacket. He hung it on his chair and looked back across the room towards her. "Because of that our support will drastically increase."

"Yes, but included in those billions of people is the Emperor of Britannia. It won't be long before he starts sending forces to come looking for us." Her body language was cold. This was a daring move on Lelouch's part. The only reason she'd agreed to it was to ensure that he wouldn't die.

"That is correct, but something you said a few days ago leads me to believe that I can handle it. You said you know exactly how many people are after you. Obviously it can't be very many which means that my father wants this kept secret, understandably so. In order to ensure that secrecy he will only be able to send those already informed about you to the front lines, which they most likely already are." Lelouch walked over to his chess set that was in the middle of a game. He studying the board for a moment.

"That was still a very reckless move." She was beginning to see his side of things, he had a strong mind, she'd give him that.

"Many would say that," Lelouch responded as he drew his fingers over to the black king. "But I always lead with my king." He moved the piece one space forward, putting him only two moves away from check. That however, was when he would spring his trap. Although his King would be pinned the white pieces would have no choice but to yield to keep their king upright. Mated in four moves. "Besides the very source of the Emperors power is slowly being ripped from beneath him."

C.C. was becoming more interested with each addition. This had to be a long run of luck, there's no way he could have predicted all these events. No, but it was possible that he planned for a number of circumstances. What little free time he had must have been devoted to stratagems and battle tactics, he was definitely devoted. Which was exactly why he was the perfect choice and it was that same dedication that burned her up inside. "And what would that be?"

Lelouch tossed a discarded piece into the air, catching it in his palm before gripping it firmly. "His pawns."

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Kallen woke up holding her pillow in her arms and looked over at the clock. It was past noon. Her eyes sprang open, had she really slept that long? She quickly grabbed her phone and opened it. She hadn't received a call or message from Lelouch yet. *Should I call him? No, what if this whole thing was just an excuse to not go with Milly and Shirley? But what about last night, we shared something there didn't we?* That question was exactly why she couldn't call him. She couldn't handle being told the entire thing was an act, she would look like a fool. No she would just have to wait it out. *But what if he doesn't call? Then I'm just stuck around here waiting all day for nothing?* "Damn you Lelouch." Kallen huffed as she sat up to put on some clothes.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lelouch awoke with the realization that his arm was around something warm, or someone. Slowly he opened his eyes to see a sea of emerald hair in front of his face. He tried to pull his arm back, but in her sleep C.C. had quite the hold on it. She was stronger than she looked. "Hey C.C. wake up." He continued to wiggle his arm, trying to wrench it from her grip. C.C. let out a pleased moan and it was at that point that Lelouch realized what she held his hand to. In a panicked jerk he ripped his hand from her bare chest. "What are you doing?!" Lelouch choked out, his voice a little shaky. C.C. began to stir. "You said that we would switch off, between the floor and the bed. It was my turn for the bed."

C.C. sat up and stretched her arms. "Changed my mind." She said before letting out a long yawn. "Did you sleep well?"

Lelouch brought his hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes roughly in frustration. "You changed your mind? And you didn't bother to put on any clothes?" He felt rather awkward as he began to put on his undershirt and jacket.

C.C. raised a brow. "I always sleep like this, you know that. Does it upset you?"

Lelouch let out a deep sigh. "I wouldn't say upset but-"

"Well if you don't have a problem then I expect you will get used to it over time." C.C. got out of his bed and walked to his closet. Try as he might to look away from her naked figure, he was still a teenaged male.

In a desperate attempt to avert his eyes elsewhere he saw the clock. It was past one in the afternoon. "Oh no, Kallen." He quickly walked to his phone and dialed her number. Good, she would keep his mind off that voluptuous witch.

Kallen picked up before the first ring could finish. "Yes Lelouch?" She scolded herself mentally, that came off more willing and eager than she'd intended. Hopefully it wasn't too obvious.

"Kallen, I just wanted to discuss our plans for today." Lelouch said, turning his back on the witch as she objected with a loud 'hmph'.

"Yeah sure. Should I head over to your place?" Kallen asked, getting up to move to her door.

Lelouch looked over his shoulder to see C.C. holding different shirts in front of her as if to test how they would look on her. Only problem was, they were all the same shirt. She was just trying to tease him. "Why don't I come over there? I've never been inside your place and I'd love to see it." There was no way he was going to get tangled in that mess again. C.C. and Kallen were more than a handful individually, but together, it was like a matador trying to fight **two** bulls.

"Oh umm you want to come over here?.. That'd be fine, I guess. Do you remember how to get here?" Kallen suddenly felt a little uneasy.

"Think I remember, I'll call you if I get lost." Lelouch said as he hung up the phone.

Kallen looked around her room, she had to clean! She couldn't allow Lelouch to see her room like this. Quickly she grabbed her clothes that littered the floor and shoved them into her laundry hamper. She made her bed and threw away the remnants of the food that was left on her nightstand. Lastly she went to her dresser and pulled out some strawberry body spray. After she applied it to her neck and chest she looked around her room for a moment, thinking. She sprayed around her room diligently and put the bottle back in her dresser. Walking around she tested her room, not that her room smelled bad before, but just to be sure. Yes her entire room smelled of strawberries, "perfect." Kallen said with a cute smile.

Lelouch arrived knocking on the front door, duffle bag in hand, soon after, the Stadtfeld maid answered. "Hello I'm looking for Kallen."

"Oh yes I believe she was expecting you. Please come in." She responded kindly showing him into the main hall. "Just a moment please." She walked towards the grand staircase that lie before them. "Kallen, your guest has arrived."

Kallen came out of her room to the top of the stairs. "Hey Lelouch, come on up." She tried to sound casual, although it felt weird with her mother around. Somehow she always managed to unnerve Kallen, just with her presence.

"Shall I get you anything?" Her mother asked, although she tried to hide it, it was obvious that the woman was depressed. Lelouch couldn't blame her, being a slave in her own house probably wasn't what she wanted to be growing up. It must have been difficult just watching as another woman raised your child while you had to clean up after everyone. Kallen had spoken of her real mother when they were on the school roof top together. It wasn't a relationship she was proud of.

"No." Kallen said sternly, turning around to return to her room. Lelouch felt the strange tension in the room and decided it'd be best to just hurry up to Kallen's room. When he reached the top of the stairs he heard a crash. He turned around to see what had been the cause, to find the maid sprawled on the ground. He moved to go help her but Kallen grabbed his forearm. She shook her head towards him and looked over at the woman collapsed on the ground. "What is the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry Malady. I must have tripped over myself." Her mother replied, slowly bringing herself to her feet.

Kallen shook her head in disgust. "Whatever." With the flip of a switch she seemed rather excited, "I'll show you around Lelouch, this is my room." She said opening her door.

Lelouch walked in, it looked nice. Well her house was nice, her room was, pristine. As he went to take a breath he instantly choked. "Oh.. My god.. What is that?" He managed out between coughs.

Kallen's eyes went wide and panicked. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"You don't... smell that? It's making my eyes water." Lelouch brought his hand to his face. In utter embarrassment Kallen guided him from her room.

"I'm so sorry Lelouch, I can show you the rest of the house.. If you want." Kallen tried to hide the bright red blush in her cheeks as she stared at the floor.

Lelouch took a moment to compose himself. "Perhaps it's best if we just get going. We need to meet with the others soon anyway."

Kallen locked a gaze with him for a moment, "the others?"

Lelouch looked around only to see the maid staring at an empty space on the wall. "Yes, the others." He raised the duffle bag in his hand.

Kallen realized what he was saying and nodded in agreement. She looked over to her mother who was still staring at the wall, "I'm going out." For some reason her mother didn't respond, she just continued her dead stare. They stepped out the front door and Kallen slammed it shut, what was the deal with her mother recently? She seemed so aloof, so out of it...

"Something wrong?" Lelouch asked trying to gaze into her sapphire eyes.

"It's nothing, it's just that... I didn't realize this was a business trip, I didn't really prepare for it." Kallen started walking and looked away, she didn't want him to see the disappointment in her eyes.

"Sorry, I guess I should have informed you." He said, slightly confused. *If she didn't think this was business then she must have believed...* Lelouch thought to himself as he jogged up to catch up to her. He hadn't realized the effects of what he had said. It seemed rather obvious to him as to what he was talking about. But with the way she reacted last night, was she actually looking forward to going on a date with him? "How about a rain check for our date? Next time it'll be just the two of us."

Kallen looked over at him to judge if he was being sarcastic or sincere. He seemed honest enough. "Okay," she smiled sheepishly. "I mean, if you really wanted to that is."

Lelouch nodded casually. As his queen it was his responsibility to keep her happy. Besides the thought wasn't too far from his mind, they'd been getting closer recently even he could tell. "I think it would be interesting." As they walked he began to notice a theme in the streets, the area had been littered with posters for Zero. Strangely they weren't wanted posters, they were praising him. Lelouch smirked at this, already things were falling into place. "Still, we cannot allow that to take priority over our mission Kallen. I'm dating Kallen Stadtfeld, not Kallen Kozuki, be sure to remember that."

"Understood." She knew what he was saying, but she didn't quite grasp what that would mean. They were within a block of the warehouse and they stepped into an alleyway where Lelouch could get changed. As they rounded the corner to enter the warehouse there were voices shouting. Zero turned around to see people beginning to approach him, where had they all come from?

They were acting like fan girls that had seen their first rock star, falling over each other just to touch him. "ZERO!! You're my hero!"

"I'm your biggest fan!"

"Death to Britannia!"

How was he going to get out of this? They had him and Kallen surrounded, he couldn't just walk into the warehouse now. More people were coming by the minute, what were only about a dozen people would soon threaten to reach a hundred. Shop owners were coming out to give him their blessing. Soon there would be a news crew here, he'd never thought his plan would work this well. The Japanese people were truly in need of a hero in times like these. Still that didn't make the situation any less dangerous. "Citizens of Japan!" With his roar the crowd suddenly went quiet. _"Forget you saw me and go back to what you were doing."_ Lelouch waited until everyone began to walk away before he quickly pulled Kallen into the warehouse. The rest of the Black Knights saw him enter and began to group at the main table. "We can't meet here again. We're going to need a new meeting place."

"What do you suggest?" Kallen asked arching her brow.

"Leave that to me. For now we have to discuss our situation at hand." Lelouch said, pushing the hideout situation to the back of his mind. "First and foremost, we fight for Japan and its people. Regardless of who we must protect her against, we must stand strong in our convictions. Our strength lies in the very nation that we fight for! Support for the Black Knights is swelling, soon our numbers will grant us the ability to combat Britannia in a more conventional way. We've even received word that the Kyoto group plans to fund us now, they are also sending us a one of a kind Knightmare. Their shipment will arrive within the next twenty-four hours, in the meantime..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Cornelia stood in her private chambers, looking over her battle plans for the attack they would carry out within the next couple of days. Their forces greatly outnumbered the enemy units, still with this sudden uprising that Zero had brought about.. She would not be made a fool of again, not while she drew breath. She would not underestimate him again, if she found him on the battlefield she would prove her combat skills once and for all. Jail cells were just as immortal as he claimed to be. "Guilford." Cornelia spoke into a private communication device.

"Yes Princess?" Her Knight dutifully responded.

"I told you to stop calling me that." She smirked, knowing that he would never stop. His devotion to her was immeasurable. "I want you to get in touch with Earl Aspland. I want his Knightmare on the front lines with us for this next operation."

"But your highness, I've heard that the pilot is an Eleven." He said with a look of concern.

"I'm fully aware of that, and yet his actions speak louder than his race. If it wasn't for him that battle in Saitama would have been a disaster. At this point he is our best chance at defeating Zero. I won't discard any opportunity to rid the empire of this threat." Cornelia's tone was firm, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Understood Milady." Guilford bowed his head respectfully and closed the channel.

"I know you're hiding something Zero, you're good but you're no god. You can't be immortal, if you were, there would be no reason for your double at the execution. You're nothing more than a street magician." Cornelia clenched her teeth and looked up toward a large grouping of pictures she'd gathered of Zero that spanned across the wall. They ranged from his first sighting at the execution, to the most recent sighting at the hotel. Zero never left her mind, those pictures were the first thing she saw when she awoke in the morning and they were the last thing she'd see before she slept. And then there was Jeremiah, he wasn't saying anything at the moment but she'd crack him eventually. His alien loyalty could only hold out for so long. "I'm closing in on you Zero, I've got my royal guard rifling through the bodies at that hotel. And if you slipped up at any point.." She pulled a knife out of her boot and threw it into the center picture on the wall. The head of Zero was shredded from all of her time spent throwing that knife while she thought. Even if she had to fall with him, she would drag him to the pits of hell herself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lelouch walked Kallen home as it was beginning to get dark. Not that she needed his protection but it still felt like the right thing to do. He walked her to the door where they said their goodbyes. At least they were becoming less awkward now. Lelouch walked back down the path to exit as Kallen entered her house. The lights were on but no one was to be found. Kallen was a bit skeptical, usually her mother would be attending to chores for the next few hours. She didn't want to care but she couldn't help but worry for the woman, she wasn't herself recently. As much as she resented her mother for being so weak, she couldn't hate her. Kallen's worries intensified when she noticed her mother's door was slightly open. She'd been so secretive about that room of late, what could she be hiding?

Kallen glanced around once again to ensure no one was around and moved closer to the ajar door. Everything was dead silent, it was rather unnerving. She had no idea what she would find behind that door but her heartbeat was building to a crescendo as she pushed it open. The light was on inside the room as well, it looked like it had been robbed. Everything was scattered across the floor, apparently someone had been searching for something. Still, there was no sign of blood or forced entry, which calmed her nerves, until her eyes rested on a pile of small empty bottles. Kallen bent over to get a closer look at them, her eyes widened in disbelief as she realized what they were.

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As Lelouch was walking down the street, Kallen's house still barely in view, his phone began to ring. He flipped it out, it was Kallen. "Hello?"

"Zero, I have a question for you." Kallen said with a grim tone.

Lelouch furrowed his brow, usually she didn't call him by that name between the two of them. "Yes, what is it?"

"Do you know where the nearest Refrain warehouse is in the area?"

Now she was beginning to scare him. "I've heard rumors yes, why do you ask? What's wrong Kallen?"

"Will you deploy the Black Knights to destroy it?" She was becoming very difficult to read, her voice held so many emotions at once.

"I will not. Not until I know your motives." Zero responded. He was willing to hear suggestions from any of his subordinates, but because it was Kallen- or more because it wasn't Kallen, not the one he knew, he needed to know why.

"It-it's my mother.. I found the bottles in her room.." Just like that Kallen's emotions settled and decided on one, sorrow.

Lelouch let out a heavy sigh. "Kallen I understand you're upset but we don't have the fire power, we don't have a single Knightmare at the moment."

Again at the flip of a coin, her emotions resorted to anger. "As Q-1, I'm saying we don't need a Knightmare, the Black Knights can handle this. Now give the order."

"As Q-1?" Zero laughed condescendingly, he couldn't show Kallen any leniency in this circumstance. If he gave into her now it was merely the first bad step that would lead to many more, with excuses just as appealing as this one. This is where he would prove to himself that he could separate between Zero and Lelouch. "As Q-1 you are still under my command-"

"_Trust me,_" Kallen sighed, she didn't want to resort to geass. "This is for the good of the mission."

"..Yes, I understand. Head back to the warehouse, I'll have everyone ready to move within the hour. I'll send the coordinates soon." Zero replied before hanging up the phone.

Zero waited out of site near the Refrain factory until everyone had arrived, the factory was smaller than he'd expected. They didn't have any Knightmares so they would have to do it the old fashioned way, with guns and explosives. There was only one door into the place but with the explosives they had they could make their own. Luckily with the following they'd gathered the Knight-police weren't likely to intervene. Lelouch always found in interesting just how quiet everything got before a gunfight. They would hit them fast and they would hit them hard, the Black Knights may sustain a few casualties but that was why the pawns lead the charge.

Two explosives went off simultaneously blowing a hole in the east and west walls while more Black Knights filed in through the North door. The crossfire was incredibly effective; after two clips of ammo were depleted and the dust settled, no survivors were found. At least none on the main floor, there were large bay like doors that lined the south wall which led deeper into the warehouse but Kallen spotted what she came for. In front of those bays was a row of boxes from wall to wall, some opened, most remained shut. Kallen shook her head in disgust and threw their last explosive to the row of boxes. To their surprise the drug was rather flammable as the row went up in flames. Zero looked over at the Black Knights, they hadn't lost a single person. It was the perfect mission, however small it may have been.

"Good work team, now let's get out of here. We'll meet back at base." The Black Knights filed one by one out the door until only Kallen and Zero remained. She wanted to watch for a bit longer, and Lelouch wanted to be there for her. Just seeing the drugs burn felt incredibly satisfying for Kallen. While she knew that it wouldn't stop her mother from using the drug, she felt she needed to do it. A need strong enough for her to use geass on her leader, she wasn't proud of that. Just as she was about to turn back Kallen saw some movement towards the now blown open bay doors, she raised her gun and tried to peer through the smoke and flame.

Zero noticed the same movement and removed his mask. Through a momentary opening in the quickly growing blaze in front of them, he saw people. Not drug lords or criminals, although something seemed strange about them, they weren't panicking at all. "Oh god." There was no exit on the south end, Kallen had used their last explosive already, he never expected the addicts to be here as well, and now they were trapped.

Kallen saw what Zero had seen only moments later, among the users was her mother. The realization crushed Kallen's spirit like a tin can, "Mother? MOTHER?!" Kallen started to run towards the inferno but it was growing too quickly for her to cross, now the flame was at least fifteen feet wide. Each box that exploded widened the gap. She collapsed a few feet from the fire on her hands and knees.

The faces of the addicts seemed so happy, they were still in their hallucination. Even after the smoke became too thick to see through Kallen could still hear her mother's voice. "Don't worry Kallen, I'm here for you, just as I've always been."

Kallen let out a primal scream of anguish and pounded her fists against the ground. She realized at that moment why her mother had always stayed at that house she hated so much. It was because of Kallen, her only daughter, whom she cared so much for, not because she still clung to the hope that Kallen's father still loved her.

Zero shook his head; she didn't need to see this. This was beyond the innocent life he'd taken. He couldn't imagine how this would tear at Kallen's soul, he couldn't let her suffer like that. He grabbed Kallen by the arm and pulled her out of the burning building, she felt so weak in his grip, it was terrifying. He pushed her up against the wall of an adjacent building. "Kallen. Kallen! Look at me Kallen." She struggled against him for a moment but met his gaze eventually. "_You're going to forget everything that happened tonight. Know that your mother finally overcame her weakness and left your father's house without a trace. You don't worry about her, she's in a better place now._" How he wished that he didn't have to use geass on her, but it was necessary. He wiped away her tears as she began to regain consciousness.

Kallen blinked a few times and looked back at him. "Lelouch? What's going on? I feel exhausted."

"Don't worry Kallen, I'm here for you… I'll walk you home." He took off his cloak and packed it into his duffle bag and allowed her to lean on his shoulder as they walked in the direction of her house. He would put her to bed, and then destroy everything that her mother left behind. Another nail in his cross.

**A/N**: It wasn't called the breaking point without reason. I know it was a roller coaster ride.

Between the fluff, C.C., little bit of humor, Cornelia, and the betrayal of geass there's tons going on in this chapter, so I'm looking forward to tons of feedback : )


	10. Tipping the Scale

**AN:** Greetings faithful. I'm pleased to bring you the 10th chapter of this story. I know it's been quite a ride already and we aren't even half way through this season. I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time and reading, without every last one of you this would just be a story in microsoft word. You're the only reason this story is on this site! So again, thank you very much : ) Without further delay I give you the next chapter.

**Tipping the scale**

It was a rather gloomy morning in the Ashford courtyard, not only was the weather less than favorable but the mood that hung over Lelouch was just unpleasant. He never wanted to use his geass on Kallen, but he had to.. didn't he? He couldn't let Kallen sit and just soak in her mother's blood, not only would Q-1 prove useless to the Black Knights for some time but the way it would have effected Kallen Stadtfeld.. It wasn't a sight he cared to observe. The worst part of the scenario was he didn't really have anyone to confide in, perhaps it was him being selfish, but still he felt the burden he relieved Kallen of now rested on his shoulders. C.C. wouldn't understand and the Black Knights had to be left in the dark for that matter. He even took the precaution of talking to the rest of the Black Knights and telling them not to speak of the operation to Kallen. He made sure his suggestion carried plenty of importance to ensure that they would take him serious but not drastic enough for someone to be a 'good pal' and figure out what was wrong. Luckily they didn't see Kallen's mother burn alive, so they just shrugged it off. They had more important things to talk about anyway. Since they put up their site, as requested by Zero, applications were piling in faster than they ever imagined. Support from thousands of Japanese alone, not to mention even some Britannians were on their side after seeing the way that their country acted towards the civilian lives. It was true that at every opportunity, Zero took the initiative to show just how heartless the Britannians were and how he resembled the one shining star amongst the sea of black. Truth be told, he was no shining star, he was just the only one present. But it isn't difficult to step forward and be a hero, when everyone else simply steps back.

The sky was spitting rain, just drops here and there nothing serious. Just enough to keep the sun at bay. The students were all in a rush to get out of the sprinkling rain, only Lelouch walked. It was Wednesday, meaning that he would have to gym today. "Not today." He stated blandly to himself. Even though he expected it to be an easy day, he needed some time to be in his own head. The bell rang and everyone made their way to their classes while Lelouch calmly walked to the roof. He was no stranger to skipping classes and this was where he would spend his time, it was the one place where he could be by himself. Puddles of water collected on the cement roof, he'd forgotten to bring his umbrella and didn't care enough to go and get it. It wasn't going to kill him to get a little wet. He rested his back against the wall that encased the roof top and pulled his laptop out of his bag. As much as he wanted to simply brood in silence he still had a job to do. He pulled up the Black Knights site and started browsing through the serious applications. Most of the comments on the page were just short little one liners. 'You guys are so sick!1', 'I'm your biggest fan,' 'Zero marry me!' They were just a bunch of students most likely, voicing their support. While it was welcomed it was also tiresome, what did they expect in return for those comments? 'Thanks?' He wasn't working for the people's compliments, all he asked them for was their loyalty, and that didn't require them to speak.

At least some good was coming from the popularity though, Kyoto's shipment was due today at some point. After they receive the shipment they can finally move onto a new hideout, a moveable one. Unfortunately it's rather difficult to send a large shipment to a moving address, so they had to wait until the time was right. On top of their financial support there were a few applications that actually showed some promise, some claimed to have some weapons knowledge and even a little bit of experience with Knightmare frames. Of course all of this information had no proof, so he had to be careful not to bite on offers that seemed too good to be true.

"Hmm Diethard Reid.." Lelouch read the name aloud. The application says that he's in media, that would be helpful. "He's Britannian.. Then again so am I. Still I have to wonder about his motives." Still it was likely that this wasn't a trap, he'd been doing just fine without a media person on his side. "What's this?" Lelouch clicked a file that the man had attached to his application, it was a planned broadcast about an attack on the Narita mountains. It seemed that Cornelia would be going after the JLF tomorrow. "Well now, isn't that interesting." Lelouch clicked on the accept button, he would have to meet with this Diethard Reid. Perhaps he would prove more useful than initially anticipated.

Water dripped from his hair down onto his face, how much time had passed by? He looked down at his phone he'd missed a text message, it was from Kallen. "Everything okay? You weren't in gym class." Apparently he got a spell of tunnel vision and didn't realize his phone go off.

He calmly entered his reply. "Yeah, I just needed some time is all." He rested his head against the damp concrete behind him, looking up into the overcast sky as rain drops kissed his face.

Lelouch's phone chimed and he looked down at it to open the message from Kallen. "Where are you?"

He thought how to reply to her. He could lie to her, send her away. It was probably the right thing to do.. "I'm on the roof." Was what he typed. Lelouch couldn't deny it, Kallen's company sounded pretty good at the moment. Obviously he couldn't tell her what was wrong, but that didn't mean she couldn't make him feel better. She seemed to have that effect on him.

It didn't seem like very long before Kallen opened the door to the roof tops. "I thought you might be- what are you doing out here? You're getting soaked." She said, as if he had no idea. "Come on let's get you inside."

"Just a bit longer." Lelouch stated plainly, he gestured for her to sit beside him.

Kallen arched her brow, "Lelouch, there is no way that I'm going to sit in a puddle of water in a mini skirt." She looked closer to try to see into his eyes, he seemed troubled somehow. Understanding it was a bit more serious she approached him and squatted down, trying to dig a bit deeper into his violet eyes. "Lelouch what's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it, it doesn't concern you." Lelouch shook his head casually and stared in her eyes for a moment. Droplets of water falling from his dark hair.

"But it does concern you, which concerns me." She had never seen him so distraught. "Is it a Zero thing?" She asked curiously.

Irony had a funny way of creeping up on Lelouch it seemed. Here Kallen was trying to comfort him about her mother's death.. "No... It's a Lelouch thing. One of my friends is just having some troubles, I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them."

Kallen smiled sincerely back at him. "Just find a way to make them remember what's important to them. Everyone has something to live for. For me it's my mother, she left recently but I'm glad for her you know?" Lelouch locked eyes with Kallen, it took every last drop of his willpower not to break down in front of her as she spoke. "I just know that she's in a better place now. She's finally free of that hell she put up with for so long."

Lelouch couldn't stand it, he had to look away from her. How fate just loved to push his face in his mistakes. "I understand.." He moved to sit up but Kallen rested her hand on his shoulder, imploring him to remain for a moment longer.

"But she's not all.. I-I care about you.." Kallen blushed slightly, it felt good to get it off her chest as it had been weighing her down for some time now. She brought her hand to the side of his face and gently brought him to face her. His eyes were full of something she couldn't tell what, but something was there, much better than nothing. She'd come this far, there was little point at stopping now. Kallen inched further towards him, rain clinging to his lips. He made no motion to stop her as she closed her eyes and brought her lips to meet his. He closed his eyes and returned her kiss, it was the most bittersweet moment he had ever experienced. His lips had the faintest taste of salt from a tear that he hid all too well.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Inside the Britannian flagship Cornelia was sitting at a table, looking over the preparations for Narita. She had her hand placed thoughtfully on her jaw as she looked at the map of the mountain, placing markers that represented units across the field. She had called in extra reinforcements for this mission and she had the Lancelot ready to go into combat with her. Still, she needed to ensure the safety of the command ship, Euphemia was going to be onboard and she didn't want to take any chances with her younger sister. "Guilford."

As summoned the Knight showed up on a screen in front of her. "Princess?"

"Change of plans, inform the pilot of the Lancelot that he is to remain guarding the command ship until ordered otherwise. I want him to protect Euphemia until we need him." Cornelia said bringing her attention back to the map.

"Understood." Guilford responded and cleared the channel.

This way if Zero comes and tries to ambush the command vessel the Lancelot will buy them enough time to regroup. If Zero moves into the battlefield she can bring the Lancelot from behind. Of course this entire plan hinged on the thought that Zero would show up. Britannia didn't want him to, with him out of the picture this victory was already won. Which was why no public statement had been made, if there was one, Zero was sure to come. Despite this Cornelia had faith that the information would find him somehow and prayed that he would show.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Suzaku knocked on the chamber of the sub-viceroy. "You may enter." Euphemia called out.

"Greetings your highness, my name is Suzaku Kururugi. I'm the pilot of the Lancelot." Suzaku kneeled before her in his white uniform.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Suzaku, I'm Euphemia li Britannia." She responded kindly, still unsure as to why he had come. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh no Princess, I'm charged with your safety for the time being." Suzaku clarified, he thought she would have been aware of the situation. It would appear that Euphemia was left in the dark about much that went on in Area 11.

She blinked twice and tilted her head slightly. "You're my Knight?"

Suzaku's eyes widened, "no, nothing like that. I'm just told to protect you for the time being."

"I see.." Euphemia seemed disappointed somehow. She'd always liked the idea of having a Knight, it was just so romantic. At the same time she was glad, although Suzaku was cute, she'd prefer her Knight to be her choice, not her sisters. Euphemia always looked up to Cornelia, even though she wasn't given a choice. Cornelia simply always stood above her in every way, which gave Euphie a bit of an inferiority complex. She knew that she could never amount to the standard her sister set. All she wanted was to make a difference, to make the world a better place. In doing so, she would surprise everyone, including herself, and prove that the world doesn't need hate to exist.

"Is something the matter your highness?" Suzaku asked as he stood up.

"It's nothing." She flashed him a wide smile that seemed to suit her so well. This did have an upside to it, perhaps now she would allotted more freedom since she had a personal body guard. She could finally break out of this cell and see the world through fresh eyes, instead of only seeing the politics and war."Tell me Suzaku, how does some fresh air sound?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Zero and Q-1 arrived at the warehouse shortly after receiving the message that the Kyoto shipment had arrived. They were both rather eager to see just how much faith they had placed in the Black Knights. Tamaki had already made short work of all the crates that contained the Knightmares. They had been given two dozen custom Burai Knightmare frames. Tactically speaking they were right on par with Britannians Sutherlands. The real prize they had received however was a one of a kind Knightmare, it was a seventh generation from the looks of it. The Guren Mk II was an intimidating piece of machinery, it's right arm housed a gauntlet that ended with a vicious looking claw. From the looks of it, the Guren was meant for close ranged combat.

"I would assume that it came with a manual?" Zero asked the other Black Knights who were still in awe at the bounty they had received.

"Yeah I'm flipping through it now." Tamaki said with the manual in hand. "I gotta say this is some pretty sweet stuff. It's obvious that the Kyoto group knows who the big dogs are." He finished with a huge grin on his face and his thumb pointed to his chest.

"I'm sure they do." Zero said flatly, grabbing the manual from Tamaki's hand. The manual was at least three inches thick, clearly the Guren couldn't be flown effectively by an average pilot. He began to skim through it quickly.

"Go figure that you get the bad ass ride." Tamaki scoffed with his arms crossed.

"Well it goes without saying that Zero would-" Ohgi began to correct his comrade.

"Incorrect. I will not be piloting the Guren, I will use a Burai just like the rest of you." Zero stated clapping the text shut with one hand.

"So then who gets it?" Tamaki questioned with his arms now in the air.

"I'll make that decision in due time. For now focus on getting everything unpacked and ready to move. We'll be leaving for the Narita mountains as soon as possible." Zero ordered.

"Narita Mountains?" Ohgi asked approaching Zero. "What's waiting for us there?"

"Nothing is waiting for us. We'll be waiting for Cornelia, but we must move quickly if we wish to catch her off guard. I want to be ready to leave within the hour." Zero turned his back on the Black Knights and began to walk away.

"One hour? You've gotta be kidding! We don't have time to pack everything we're going to need in an hour!" Tamaki shouted with his fist clenched.

Zero looked back over his shoulder. "Then you certainly don't have time to complain." Tamaki growled in frustration but did as he was told and began to make the preparations to leave. "Q-1, I would ask to have a word with you." Kallen stopped mid stride on her way to help the others and looked in Zero's direction as he beckoned her over to him. She bowed her head and made her way towards the masked man. "Walk with me Kallen." He said as they left the larger loading area of the warehouse. He opened a door to a smaller room that he had been using as his own private work area while acting as Zero. It only had a desk and two chairs but it did the job. He dropped the manual on the desk and walked around to the chair behind it.

Kallen bit her lip nervously she didn't know why he would want to talk to her in private but she imagined it couldn't be good. Probably a talk about how their kiss earlier didn't mean anything to Zero and how they would have to maintain a professional appearance among the Black Knights. She kept waiting for him to talk but just sat behind the beaten desk with his fingers intertwined in front of him. "Is something wrong Zero?"

"No, I simply wanted to do this away from the others." He seemed to enjoy making her squirm, he knew exactly what she would be thinking about. Zero wanted her to sit and boil in her thoughts. He picked up the manual to the Guren and extended it out to Kallen.

Kallen stared at it for a moment, unsure what to say. "Zero are you sure this is the best idea? You're our leader, we need to-"

"You are only half right Q-1. I am the leader of the Black Knights in terms of strategy and tactics, plans and schemes. However, in terms of combat ability, you are the leader. You're the best pilot I have, and you're the only one who will be able to achieve maximum compatibility with this particular unit." Zero continued to hold out the manual to Kallen, although it was starting to become heavy.

"Zero.." Kallen whispered beneath her breath. She looked at the text with pride and determination. She would prove him right, she would master this beast, make it her own. With this caliber of a weapon she would become a symbol that inspired fear on the battlefield. "This doesn't have anything to do with what happened earlier does it?" She had to ask, it was eating away at the back of her mind.

"It has everything to do with what's happened earlier." Kallen's heart sank for a moment, she wasn't quite sure how to feel. "Nothing to do with what happened on the school roof though. No Kallen, this I give to you as Zero. The Guren has nothing to do with Lelouch. You've proven yourself in combat numerous times, just as you have proven your loyalty. I believe in rewarding those deserving, and I couldn't think of anyone more deserving than you." Kallen's heart swelled with pride, a foolish grin now displayed on her face. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes Zero." She replied, clutching the manual close to her chest.

"Then you had best report back to the others. We don't have any time to lose." He bowed his head generously as she turned to walk back out the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lloyd was pacing back and forth with some unique type of food in his hand. Cecile was always concocting things for him to try, most of them fell into the category of abject failure. Still he was a man of science and he knew just as well that it took a hundred mistakes to make each scientific marvel, perhaps it was the same in the culinary world. On today's menu was a twice baked potato topped with peppers, sauerkraut and the kicker caramel sauce. It looked good enough, Lloyd took a bite.. Abject failure. "I'm afraid we've struck out again on this one." He said as he gently pushed the toppings off of the potato to try and salvage the meal.

"What progress were you able to make on the Lancelot?" Cecile responded as she took note of the culinary disaster in her note pad.

"Well after some fine tuning and changing the variable output towards the shield I believe I've extended the Lancelot's energy capacity by three fold. It seems a miscalculation was devoting far more energy than necessary for the deflection of low-mid level impact. Even the lightest of hits would put the shield into overdrive. That's the problem with a first of its kind though, you have to work out the problems as they come." Lloyd adjusted his glasses as he looked over the data on the terminal in front of him. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, it was music to his ears. Devices were like puzzles to him, sometimes his creations seemed to have a mind of their own, a characteristic that he both loved and despised.

"And what of the new weapons systems? Cornelia won't be pleased with those results alone." Cecile said looking back at Lloyd with a sense of care. Even though there wasn't anything between them, it was difficult to work beside a single person for so long and not develop some kind of feeling for them.

"The sabres have the green light; that should give the Lancelot the edge it needs in close range." Lloyd was giddy with excitement, he couldn't wait to see how the numbers his fine tuned machine would put out. "Although the VARAS won't be ready for tomorrow. While it provided some much needed data during that hotel scandal it also revealed a flaw in its design. The beam becomes more focused at long range, resulting in a disappointing amount of stopping power at close range."

"Couldn't we simply allow the Lancelot to take it into combat anyway? If it's effective at long range than the sabres should be able to make up for the close range." Cecile questioned. She stood from her seat and moved over to look at Lloyd's terminal over his shoulder.

"We could, and then we would have to hold it back for the next mission, each time we would have an equal reason to simply send it into combat. No I like my devices to work exactly as they were intended, the sooner we complete the process the better."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The Black Knights had arrived at the Narita Mountains; it was getting dark already as they unpacked their supplies and began to set up camp. Zero watched as the Black Knights worked like ants, they'd learned to work with each other rather well, things were going very smoothly. Even Tamaki was helping without complaining. Perhaps he should disguise more of their operations as 'field trips'. Zero laid out a map and took note of the surrounding area. While the others were pitching tents and setting up a fire, he was drawing formations and flanking maneuvers.

After the camp was set up Zero stood up and took center stage in the camp. "We have a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow." The Black Knights let out a slight groan. "I will assign everyone their groups and their individual tasks. The Britannians are due to arrive at 1800 hours. Which gives us plenty of time to ensure everything goes smoothly. They intend to strike when the sun will be to their backs, making it harder to resist from an elevated position. A wise tactic, one we will use against them. But for now, get some rest, there will be plenty of time for that tomorrow." The Black Knights nodded and began to thin into their tents, most housed two people but some preferred their privacy. Lelouch being one of them stayed awake in his tent restlessly going over his plan and all possible outcomes and variables. As time passed he heard fewer and fewer members awake in the center of camp, Tamaki had brought up a bottle of sake and was tending to it personally. He was sharing tales about the good old days and this bar that he worked at before the he joined the resistance. Lelouch sighed and brought his hand to his forehead, he needed to focus on the plan, not Tamaki's personal history lesson.

It was likely that Cornelia expected him to show himself during this battle. She would likely try to draw him in and cut off his escape route. Also there was that white Knightmare, it had proven quite difficult in the past but now that they had the Guren on their side, they should be evenly matched. That still left Cornelia and her royal guard to even out. Lelouch noticed that the sounds outside of his tent had ceased now. Perhaps he could walk around, get some blood flowing. The Black Knights were counting on him, Kyoto had given him the props to work with, now he had to put on the show. That was the drawback of a brilliant plan, after that point, everyone expects it of you every time, and not only that, they expect improvement. This plan was definitely on a grand scale, he would use the very earth they fought upon as his unyielding weapon. With the fury of a landslide he would deliver a crushing blow to Britannia. Still, this victory would be short lived, he needed a way to leave the Empire reeling...

He drew back the panel of his tent and stepped out taking a breath of the fresh mountain air through his mask. He looked around and noticed all the tents were dark except for one. Upon closer inspection he recognized the silhouette as Kallen's. A smirk came across his lips as he approached her tent. It was almost unnerving how still her shadow was against the thin material of the tent.

"Kallen?" He asked quietly outside her tent.

"Zero is that you?"

"May I come in?" He responded.

"Yes of course." Kallen said plainly as she opened the tent for him. He stepped inside and zipped the tent shut behind him. Finally he felt it safe to remove his mask. As he rested his mask on the ground he realized what it was that had kept her up so late.

"I see you've taken that burden seriously." He motioned towards the Guren manual. "I'm glad to see that, you never disappoint Kallen."

Kallen grinned as she folded one of the page corners over to mark her spot and closed the book. "Thank you."

With limited room available in the tent he sat next to her, an arrangement she didn't seem to mind much at all. He reached his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight to him. She turned her head slightly to look at his softening features. His chest burned with desire as he looked down into her sapphire eyes that played such a striking contrast to her crimson locks that she hid behind. She was one of the few things in his life currently that belonged to Lelouch, not Zero. He had forfeit everything to the Black King, even the safety of Nunnally was now a charge of Zero's, still Kallen remained his. The two of them seemed magnetized, moving slowly at first, pulling towards each other before finally closing the remaining distance in a quick leap of faith. They caught each other in a simple but passionate kiss. Their lips locked and Kallen began to move her arms around his lean torso. With the limited space it was rather difficult to sit up-right and continue. Struggling back and forth, trying to find a comfortable position Kallen growled in frustration and laid back pulling Lelouch on top of her. She parted his lips with hers and edged her tongue into his mouth, seeking its partner. Before long Lelouch found himself needing to breathe and pulled back momentarily. Kallen looked up at him with a blissful smile. It was that very smile that seemed like it could answer every problem he could ever come up with. No matter what was going wrong, her smile had a way of grounding him.

In an instant flash that ripped through his mind everything became clear, he could picture every detail.

Kallen was the answer.

**AN**: Another chapter in the books, so to speak. Hope you enjoyed it, I'd love to hear some feedback from you. Until next time..


	11. Landslide

**AN: **Greetings faithful, once again I hope this chapter finds you all well and happy. It's been fun but we still have a long way to go. I appreciate your continued support in my freshman fic, I'm pleased by the feedback I've been getting so thank you all very much. As long as you keep reviewing I'll keep writing ;) Without further delay I bring you the next piece to the story. As most of my chapters do, this title has a dual meaning. One meaning should be quite obvious, the second.. well you'll just have to wait and see 8D

**Landslide**

The crisp, clean mountain air was a welcomed change for the Black Knights. The recent battles in the Tokyo settlement had created a smog effect from all the debris and crumbling buildings. Of course, this perfect clean air would also soon be dirtied by war. Ohgi was the first to awake, having always had a strong sense of punctuality. The rest of the Knights soon filed in, all save Tamaki. He was still passed out in the entrance of his tent, his legs crossed over the threshold. Ohgi chuckled as he shook his head, as worthless as the man proved in combat he was a necessity. Tamaki took the edge off of war, without him it was quite likely that the lot of them would go crazy from all the seriousness.

Ohgi was unsure if it was within his boundaries to go check on Zero's tent. Certainly he wouldn't be allowed inside for secrecy reasons, still he could attempt to rouse the leader. Leaving the other Black Knights to get breakfast ready, he walked over to Zero's marked tent. "Master Zero? Are you awake?" He waited for a moment but didn't hear a reply. He decided to speak up a bit, perhaps the man was a heavy sleeper. "Zero? Are you in there?" Still nothing, could it be possible that he woke up earlier and went off somewhere on his own? That didn't seem like the wisest of ideas given the risk.

Inside Kallen's tent Lelouch heard Ohgi yelling. How had time crept up on him? He looked over at Kallen who was stirring awake. He hadn't intended to stay in her tent all night. "Kallen, I'm going to go out there, just follow my lead."

Kallen looked up at him in his Zero attire with half open eyes. She blinked repeatedly to let her eyes adjust to the light shining through the tent. "What?" Kallen asked instinctively, after a moment of thought, his words made sense. "Yeah sure okay."

"You remember what we talked about last night right?" He asked putting his helmet on.

Her face quickly turned determined and serious. "Yes."

"Good." Zero nodded as he opened the tent to see Ohgi still staring at his tent across the camp.

Ohgi shrugged, Zero didn't have to be present this very moment anyway, perhaps he would show himself soon enough. Walking back to the rest of the group he spotted their leader emerging from a different tent, Kallen's tent if he remembered correctly. "Zero?" He managed with disbelief written across his face.

"Yes?" The leader responded as if he saw no abnormality in his actions.

"You were in Kallen's tent?" Ohgi asked, this drew the attention of the rest of the Black Knights as they turned to face him. They were mostly grown men but this was some juicy gossip to get in on from the sounds of it.

"Correct, as you know she's my second in command. I see nothing wrong with going over strategy privately." Zero said, joining the circle of Black Knights.

"Strategy eh? Is that what you call it?" A Knight smirked as he elbowed his buddy standing next to him.

"If you're insinuating that something unprofessional happened between me and Kozuki you are mistaken. I did indeed sleep in my own tent. We simply have the dedication to wake up before the rest of you and go over specific parts of the battle in case one of us becomes incapacitated." The lie came out smooth and convincing, the rest of the Knights sighed in disappointment. Once convinced, they sat back down to enjoy the meals they packed.

Kallen made her way out of the tent soon after, dressed and prepared for battle. "Morning Ohgi." She nodded to him as he smiled in response. He would have to talk to her later about Zero.

"Is everyone present now?" Zero asked, looking around his army. It wasn't much at the moment, still under twenty people. But as soon as he could start accepting people into the Black Knights that would all change. The tides were quickly turning in his favor and soon they would have the force needed to truly battle the Empire. Besides, a skilled tactician such as he should be able to overcome the odds before him, despite the number disadvantage. This was merely another opportunity to prove his genius further and demonstrate his unrivaled ability to cheat death itself. He made his crown out of the impossibilities he conquered.

"Everyone's here, except for Tamaki.. Not that it matters." A member laughed with a mouthful of food.

Zero brought his attention to the man laughing. "If any man here is expendable, it's the one who doesn't value his comrades. A single missing brick will topple the strongest of walls." The comment shut the laughing man up and humbly returned to his meal. While he meant what he said, that didn't mean he couldn't make an example of the drunk. He opened the man's tent and pulled in a deep breath. "TAMAKI WERE UNDER ATTACK!" His voice boomed in the small space.

"Ahhh!" Tamaki screeched like teenage girl, scrambling into his tent. Tamaki's heart raced in his chest as he cowered in the back of his tent. His entire body was tense and frozen with terror. That fear slowly faded away as he heard the overwhelming laughter from the rest of the Knights outside. "You're a real jerk you know that?" Tamaki yelled to the front of the tent.

"I would appreciate it if you weren't tardy from now on." Zero said, suppressing his laughter. He left the tent and returned to the group awaiting Tamaki to discuss their plan for the attack on Narita. They would have to get the excavators going soon if they wanted to remain undetected.

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Cornelia was alone in her chambers, still making adjustments to the arrangement of her forces. Judging by the terrain it was most likely that the JLF would be defending the south side since it would be the most difficult to climb. She could pincer from the sides with her main force and pull their main defenses apart, then she and her personal guard could charge divided forces and ensure victory. Her forces numbers alone already promised a favorable outcome, that didn't mean she could get sloppy though. "Still... That leaves Zero." Cornelia would not allow him to disgrace her again, with the force she brought to this battle she was going to cripple him either way. If he did show up she would redirect the majority of her forces to confront him and bring the Lancelot in from behind. "You cannot win Zero." Her voice was truculent and confident. His best chance was to steer clear of the battlefield, even in doing so his support from the Elevens would crumble. She had successfully backed him into a corner. With her forces nearly in place, all she had to do was deliver the final blow to the JLF and the legend of Zero.

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Shirley sat in her usual Math class, her chin resting in her palm in a bored expression. Math wasn't a favored subject of hers and the fact that it was her first class of the day only made it all the more frustrating.

Milly walked in and took an open seat next to Shirley. "Morning Shirley." She beamed with a cheerful smile.

"Yes it is." Shirley sighed, she was going to object to Milly sitting in the seat next to hers which was usually Lulu's but it seemed he was absent, she hadn't heard anything from him. His absence was starting to bother her, mostly because it seemed he was always gone the same day as Kallen. Even though she'd come to terms with them dating, she still didn't like to have it thrown in her face. Lelouch was supposed to be hers...

"Bummed that your Lulu is gone yet again?" Milly asked with some concern.

Shirley didn't want to talk about it, so instead she responded with a question of her own. "Milly, I have to ask. How does it feel to be in an underclassmen math class?" Shirley hoped it would have enough of a bite to it to give Milly the message to leave it alone.

Milly smiled sincerely. "I think I know what you're saying. In a way we are both struggling to keep prove our worth. For me it's academics, for you it's love." She reached a hand out to Shirley to pat her on the shoulder.

Shirley nearly blew up but before she could respond the door smashed open. The man standing before the class wasn't the Math teacher though. "Greetings students." The words seethed from his mouth like a hiss from a snake.

"Oh god." Shirley muttered into her fist.

"I am Professor Reisdorph. I'll be your substitute for today." The fat umpa lumpa sized man said with an anxious grin on his face. He was eager to test the mettle of the fresh meat before him.

"What happened to Mr. Marchetti?" Milly asked, she was particularly fond of the teacher. He was young and he seemed to pay special attention to her.

"Mr. Marchetti, in his infinite wisdom, discovered the revenue to be earned counting cards. If successful his return is unlikely. If not, then he doesn't have much credibility then does he?" Reisdorph laughed to himself as he pulled the clipboard from behind his back. "Today we are starting our unit on... Algebra." The Professor tapped his finger on his jaw for a moment, thinking of how to implement the lesson into his passion. "Alright so we'll start with this equation. If we take the population of the world and divide it into three and then cut that number by, let's say twenty-seven percent. Take that number and divide it again by five and that should be the number of soldiers our **glorious **Britannia can place into Knightmare frames." The rest of the class looked up at him with shocked faces, considering their usual assignments constituted of problems more in the form of: x + 26 = 15. After all, they were only just beginning Algebra. "No calculators, and I want to see all of your work long hand. Now begin!" His overzealous voice rang out through the otherwise silent classroom.

Shirley dropped her face into her desk with a loud thud. "I can only hope that Lulu is having as much fun as I am..."

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"All units move out!" Cornelia bellowed from the royal channel as she sat in her Knightmare. "Stick to your formation and advance until I give the command."

"Yes your highness!" The numerous force split into two large groups and chraged up the mountian side. Only Cornelia and her guard remained at the summit, giving the main force adequate time to advance and draw the fire of the JLF.

Within minutes gunshots could be heard with occasional explosions drowning them out. The two squads hit the trenched in JLF defenses like a tidal wave. The Empire brought an incredible force for such a small base, Cornelia was leaving nothing to chance this time.

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"The Britannians are on the move. They are splitting into two main forces, attacking both flanks." Ohgi said from the cockpit of his custom Burai.

"Everyone get ready to move. Q-1, how's the Guren responding?" Zero asked over the secure Black Knight channel.

"Everything's good. All systems are normal, radiant wave surger ready and waiting." Kallen said checking over all of her instruments and dials. It had taken her a minute to get used to the build of the Guren Mk II but she loved it. It fit her like a glove with its close range fighting style and effortless counter movements. The burning element in its claw was symbolic to the fiery heart that she wore on her sleeve as Kallen Kozuki.

"Perfect all units prepare to advance up the summit on my signal." Zero said over the comm unit. He lowered his head with a cocky smirk. *What a foolish move to leave yourself so unprotected Cornelia. I thought you were better than this.*

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The JLF commander looked in awe at the number of units marching up the mountain side. This was impossible, even with their terrain advantage they couldn't out for long. "How long until Tohdoh arrives?"

"He's on his way sir but I don't think he'll make it in time at this rate, I'd say he's probably thirty minutes away."

The commander smashed his fist into the metal console. "All units switch formation, guard the flanks. Give them everything you've got, unload your clips! We have to hold out for Tohdoh!"

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"Your highness, they are changing formation. They are bolstering their flanks." Dalton said with a smirk. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

"Understood. Keep pushing we're on our way." Cornelia responded on the Britannian channel. "Guilford how is your flank holding up?"

"We're fine Princess, although I still wish you'd let me accompany you." Her Knight responded.

"Don't shelter me Guilford, you know I hate that." She smirked in response. This strategy was a false opening for Zero. If he made a move, the flanks would close in on him and the Lancelot would charge from behind. He wouldn't stand a chance.

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Zero studied the Britannian formation for a moment. When the time to strike came his orders were quick and precise. "Q-1 penetrating electrodes three and four. P-group form our front line. B-group cover them with artilery against decending units. R-group once the landslides have begun extend to the edges, I don't want anyone getting past us. N-group your with me and Q-1 until we have visual of Cornelia." The Black Knights moved in unison like a well oiled machine, the time put into the plan was evident.

Kallen activated the third electrode with her radiant wave surger. The heat from the glove boiled the water deep beneath the ground, causing the ground to rupture and start a massive landslide down the mountain side. Quickly Kallen activated the fourth electrode creating another landslide of similar proportions. The two massed flanks that Cornelia had created suffered heavy casualties and the forces that did survive were pinned outside, unable to cross the destroyed terrain. Cornelia was isolated in a matter of moments. Only herself, her small detachment of units and the Black Knights were on the inside of the fork Zero had created.

Cornelia couldn't believe what she was seeing, the radar showed a loss of over 70% of her units just from the landslides. How could this be happening? "Send the Lancelot, it's Zero! He's come." Cornelia quickly regained her composure. Zero must have been going all in on this strategy, without reinforcements she would eventually face defeat, but with the Lancelot on her side. It was still an even match.

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Lloyd looked over the screen with shock, and yet he had a hint of admiration in his eyes. "What kind of force do you think could cause such destruction?"

Suzaku made a quick search around the Britannian flagship with Euphemia on board. As were his instructions to ensure her safety before assisting Cornelia. If he left her alone to be attacked by Zero... "Does it really matter where it came from?" Suzaku asked after he was satisfied with the scouting results.

"What was that?" Lloyd asked with a heartbroken tone. That was the most important aspect of science to him. It was how he rationalized all of his devices, every one of his creations had his own flair to them. Right away he could tell this wasn't the work of anything he'd ever made, which most likely left... "Rakshata. She's the only one I know who is capable of making such a weapon."

"If she isn't on this battlefield she isn't my concern right now. Lancelot launching." Suzaku opened up the throttle and raced up the mountain with any luck he would be able to save Princess Cornelia, perhaps even get the chance to battle Zero.

He'd spent time researching the masked man in what little off-time he was awarded. While his goals seemed noble the cost of his actions were far to great for Suzaku to support. Zero would kill 50 million people to stop a war that may only claim 10 million throughout the duration. Peace was necessary but death wasn't, he would stop Zero to save the lives of all he would endanger. By killing his native nation's hero he would redeem himself for the murder of his father. Of course the Japanese people would never know of all the lives he might have saved, but that wasn't important. He didn't want to be a hero for the title or the recognition, he did it for himself. In being such a selfless martyr he was actually quite selfish. While helping others was a great benefit the main reason behind his actions was to rinse his soul of his father's blood.

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"Princess what are your orders? We cannot cross the gap in time to support you." Guilford said desperately. He hated being separated from Cornelia, he often felt more helpless than she did when things turned sour. Without her, he was nothing.

"Keep pushing up the mountain, we need to pressure the JLF so they don't feel confident enough to push as well. Send what units you don't need to try and give us some cover fire over the gap. Snipers on the east side if you have them. Dalton, if you have artillery, bring them down the west side. Tell them to remain hidden until I give the order, after the snipers push them back we'll bombard them with explosives."

"Understood Milady." They responded loyally. Even in the face of disastrous odds she held firm command over her units.

The P-group made contact with Cornelia's unit first stopping them from descending further down the mountain. Zero watched on his screen, he himself was rather removed from the battle to ensure his victory. Lelouch had followed the landslide down the mountain, no one thought to look at the end of its wake. Surprisingly enough the landslide proved much more potent than he had assumed, it continued down the mountain and into the city nearby. He could only hope that the Britannians had evacuated the city before besieging the mountain. If they didn't, all those lives were on his hands now...

"P-group use the trees to your advantage bring them in close while R-group circles around and fires from behind. B-group keep their eyes on you and off of R-group by any means necessary. Q-1 crush every unit you can. When you're given the opportunity to strike the heart, take it." Zero commanded, keeping a close eye on all unit movements to call out a counter if possible.

"Understood master Zero." Several voices responded over the channel.

Cornelia with her superior combat skills was easily able to push through the defensive P-group with her lance and torso mounted machine guns. The B-group opened fire on her but she used the tight formation of the P-group against them, causing lots of friendly fire.

Kallen was able thinning the enemy ranks faster than Cornelia could simply because of unit performance. The Guren truly was a masterpiece, with the limited space given the enemy units were dropping like flies to the radiant wave surger and precise dagger strikes. She was in a frenzy trying to cause as much collateral damage as she could while trying to pinpoint Cornelia. The Black Knights now only had a dozen units remaining, nearly all of P-group was wiped out, Cornelia's force however was nearly depleted. Still they couldn't hold the position for long, as they were starting to take sniper fire from the east side of the mountain. Kallen took a moment to judge unit performance. "B-group, R-group destroy the remaining units and fall back to the west side, we'll break the line of sight with those snipers." The R-group charged seemingly out of nowhere and collapsed the last remaining line of Cornelia's unit.

Lelouch kept an eye on the local radar, something was moving towards Kallen and the others, fast. "Q-1 the Lancelot is about to arrive, take your shot now!"

B-group had fallen back to the west side as did R-group. The only units in the immediate were the Guren and Cornelia. Kallen flipped her comm unit over to limited range open channel. "Cornelia, this is the Red Lotus. I know you are after Zero, _believe me, the only way you will get to him is if you follow my orders." _Kallen's right eye shone brightly with geass.

"Very well, what must I do?" Cornelia responded on the local channel.

"Call off that sniper unit. If they kill me, Zero will escape. Head towards the base of the mountain along the east landslide trail. There you will find Zero alone, waiting for you." Kallen looked down to check her radar. The Lancelot would be there in a matter of moments. "Go, now!"

Cornelia switched back to her normal comm frequency. "Sniper unit return to Guilford's squad for support. I'm returning to the base of the mountain to protect Euphemia, the Lancelot is on its way to take my place."

"As you wish Princess." Guilford responded. His unit was pushing the JLF farther and farther back, they were running out of ground to fall back to. The sniper unit pulled back to meet up with Guilford and finish the job.

"Viceroy we have a shot on the enemies, do we have permission to fire?" The artillery unit asked from the west side.

"Destroy all targets except for the newer model, I want that unit taken alive." Cornelia responded as she continued down the mountain.

"Understood. Commence short range fire, make sure the newer model isn't harmed. Her highness wants the unit alive." In a single blast multiple explosives were fired into the air.

Ohgi recognized that sound as he looked into the air with artillery shells immanent, his eyes locked with fear. "All units eject!" The Black Knights responded as quickly as they could, their ejection seats taking most of them to safety, some were less fortunate.

Kallen wanted to ensure the safety of her comrades but a familiar white Knightmare had just arrived. It launched it harkens as it closed range. Kallen severed one of the harkens with her blade but intentionally let the other skim across her right shoulder, she didn't want to show him her trump card yet.

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Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords arrived at Narita, the mountain was haloed by a thick cloud of smoke. "All units prepare the custom Burai, we need to get to the General as quickly as possible!" Tohdoh attached the auto pilot device onto the steering wheel and applied cruise control. The vehicles would be lost but there was no time to worry about transportation. If the JLF were defeated here, they would have no fighting force to stand against Britannia. "Our first priority is to ensure the safety of the JLF head base, once that is complete we start moving against the Britannians. Stick together, we can't afford to get separated."

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Lelouch watched as Cornelia's unit drew closer and closer to his position. He checked the aim on his sniper rifle one more time and exited the cockpit as she drew came into view. Lowering himself to the ground via the cable he looked up at his sister's Knightmare. "Cornelia, I'm so glad you could make it. Shall we settle this right here and now?"

Cornelia raised her Knightmare rifle to Zero's profile. "Yes. Here and now I shall claim my revenge."

"Not with that you won't. You've seen how effective your bullets are on me. Why don't we handle this without Knightmares?" Lelouch stepped out onto the ground in front of Cornelia.

She didn't lower her rifle. "And if I don't?"

"If you wish to show such dishonor then I will be forced to do the same. He unveiled a remote in his hand to her. "With the push of this button my Burai will fire upon the command ship Euphemia is aboard. While it is by no means certain, it is possible that she will die, is that a risk you're willing to take?"

Cornelia laughed as she opened the hatch of her Knightmare. "I knew you weren't immortal." She lowered herself to the ground and reached for her firearm.

"Yes you are both a wise tactician and a fierce warrior. That is why, _you will obey me." _

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The Lancelot moved into closer range, not having much effect with the harkens. She would eventually destroy them all if she was given so much time to react. "This unit is as fast as the Lancelot?" Suzaku was baffled, where did the Black Knights get such a weapon?

"The Guren is an even match for your Knightmare. Only question is are you evenly matched against me?" Kallen's voice rose to a crescendo as she swiped out with her dagger, aiming for his mid section. He reeled back but closed quickly, drawing his sabres for close combat. Kallen lunged again with her small but lethal blade, the Lancelot dodged by flipping and twisting over her. She reacted by turning and firing her harken at him in mid air. In an impressive counter, he cut the the harken in half with his sabre leading down with both blades towards Kallen's chest. "And now, you're mine!" She quickly grabbed the both sabres in her claw and activated the radiant wave surger. The more power that Suzaku tried to put behind the blades the more they gave way under the heat and pressure. Before he could fully realize what was happening the swords fell in melted fragments on the ground.

"Suzaku get out of there, you don't have the weaponry to combat that thing!" Lloyd shouted over the comm link.

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"I have created this frequency that only me and you will be able to listen to for the time being. If you need to contact me about anything you may call my cell phone, only give information to me, do not leave messages. Understood." Zero asked his newly acquired ally.

"I'm not a fool Zero. I won't be caught." Cornelia bit back. Even under his control she was still a viper.

"Good then apart from information I would ask that you release Jeremiah Gottwald into my custody. I believe I can make use of him as well." Zero continued. "In the mean time call off this attack. No further bloodshed is necessary."

"All units return to base immediately, we no longer have the forces to prevail. We must regroup." Cornelia demanded over the Britannian channel. Her units responded and pulled back in formation to ensure they didn't receive any more losses.

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Todoh and the Four Holy Swords arrived at the base towards the peak just in time to see the enemy units retreating.

"Should we give chase sir?" Asahina asked.

Todoh watched as they retreated still in perfect formation. "No, pursuit would only lead to damage we can't afford. For now we must tend to the wounded." He looked down the mountain and saw the incredible destruction of the land, scraps of Knightmare remains littered the ground like aluminum cans. Zero must have been responsible for this. Perhaps he really was an ally worth seeking out...

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Without a plausible means to combat the Guren, Suzaku turned to retreat as well. He had a step on her but with the ability to extend her clawed arm she was able to grab him by the cockpit. "I'm sorry, but I can't afford the luxury of fighting fair..." She flipped the activation lever of the radiant wave surger as the cockpit began to bulge and bubble. He couldn't eject because of the location she had grabbed and the fact that the Lancelot wasn't equipped with an ejection seat.

"Suzaku!" Euphemia screeched over the channel seeing the cameras distort.

In a last ditch effort the Lancelot launched both of its arms in the Guren's direction. The explosive impact at such a close range blew them apart and crippled both, the Guren's claw and its other arm. Kallen sighed with a mix of anger and respect, she had gotten too cocky and instead of a win she was forced to withdraw in a stalemate. Still she inflicted some serious damage on the White Knightmare, it was completely immobile now, its joints melted into place. Given the circumstances the pilot shouldn't have been able to survive such intensive heat at such proximity. He really was a fighter..

Kallen gathered the Black Knights she could find and began to retreat to meet up with Lelouch. From the sounds of it, their plan had been a success. With the Viceroy as their puppet, things were sure to get easier for the Black Knights. With the three of them together her and Zero could cripple Britannia. At this point it seemed nothing could stop them.

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A passenger train pulled in to the Tokyo settlement. As the doors opened numerous people filed out, emptying the train. As the doors were beginning to shut a man stepped out with a futuristic looking visor to shield his eyes and large headphones over his ears. He casually walked away from the platform with a wide grin on his face. "You can't hide from me Zero. No one can."

**AN: **Alrighty then, one more chapter down. This chapter was a big one as intended, perhaps not in length but definitely in story. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did, I found this chapter to be a blast XD Let me know what you think by taking a moment to review. I can honestly say that I'm addicted to it, so feed the addiction!


	12. The Spoils of War

The Spoils of War

**A/N: **Greetings faithful, hope you enjoyed your vacation as much as I did. I would like to thank you all for reading, if you've reviewed this at any point, I thank you again. I draw a lot of inspiration from you guys. I'm sure you're all eager to get to the story so without further delay, I give to you the next chapter.

Lelouch looked up at the sky, it was early in the day but it promised to be a long one. In terms of his surroundings everything was peaceful, there was a gentle breeze pushing through the courtyard. It was just warm enough that the breeze was welcomed, few clouds in the sky blotted out the sun every now and again. It would have been perfect, had it not been for the students buzzing around him in the courtyard. Most of them trying to talk to him about Narita, he simply ignored every voice that he heard, not even bothering to recognize any of them. The Black Knights had recently hit a critical point, with Cornelia on his side there wasn't an obstacle in his way for miles. Now wasn't the time to get soft though, he needed this time to bolster his forces as much as he possibly could before the Empire realized what was going on. He needed to focus solely on recruiting and supplying. Only problem was his teachers had notified him that his attendance was being watched very closely due to recent absences. He would need to uphold his image as a student, regardless of where it fell on his personal priorities. Chatter continued to swirl around him as he brought a hand towards his forehead, a gesture of frustration as he continued into the main halls of the school.

Luckily today he had time to himself before his first class started. "The roof it is." He muttered beneath his breath as he cut a path through the swarming crowd as the first bell closed in. Amongst all the noise he was able to discern the vibration in his pocket. All he needed right now was another problem to toss onto his pile. He pulled out his phone, he'd received a text message from Kallen.

"Hey you free? ~K" Lelouch looked at the message with a sigh, it wasn't important or she would have signed it differently. That considered he didn't respond and returned his phone to his pocket. As he pulled himself up the stairs he heard the first bell ring. Good that meant that the halls would thin drastically. The fewer people that saw him or spoke with him, the better. He opened the door to the rooftops, the air tasted so fresh up there for some reason. Even though it was the exact same air he'd inhaled not minutes ago, it was different up here. It was exactly what he needed, calm and quiet.

He went over his schedule in his head for the rest of the day, at least he had simple classes so apart from showing up he didn't have much to worry about in terms of school. After school he needed to start delegating some work to the rest of the Black Knights in particular he needed a way to go through applications quickly, it was too mundane of a task for him to carry out but he needed someone intelligent enough to realize which were the real applicants and which ones were traps. Diethard came to mind, he seemed to have a good head about him. Perhaps he could have someone there to watch over Diethard to ensure that everything goes smoothly, that person needed to be more loyal than intelligent. He needed to know about the slightest of hiccups, Diethard seemed trustworthy but precautions were necessary. Perhaps Ohgi, Lelouch thought to himself. Still, with that issue aside he still needed to deal with Jeremiah, Cornelia, and he had a meeting with Taizo Kirihara as well. At least he'd already secured the new headquarters for the Black Knights, nobles were so giving under the power of geass. His thoughts were interrupted by the roof door opening, drawing his attention.

"Hey I figured you might be up here, did you get my text?" Kallen asked from the door way slowly making her way towards the raven haired revolutionist.

"I got it." Lelouch responded rather blandly, not looking up to meet her gaze.

"Okay..." Kallen responded cautiously. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Lelouch confirmed nonchalantly. Kallen simply stood there for a moment not sure how to proceed. "Everything okay with you?" He tried to put sincerity behind it but couldn't tell whether he accomplished that task or not.

"Yeah, I was just..." Kallen was at a loss for words at the moment. She suddenly felt rather foolish for caring. "Forget it. Sorry I bothered you." She turned to walk away, what was his deal? Had she done something unknowingly? Maybe he just needed some time to think. She opened the door back into the school and glanced back over her shoulder but Lelouch was already lost in his thoughts again, paying no attention to her exit at all. Jerk.

Try as he might Kallen threw him off his train of thought, he kept trying to get back on track and figure out how he was going to organize everything that had to be done today. Minutes flew by but every time he started to piece bits together, Kallen's interruption kept forcing itself back into his mind. "Just couldn't leave me alone for one minute could you?" Lelouch asked aloud, luckily with no one around to hear it. He shook his head with frustration as his alarm went off, it was already time for his first class. He had computer applications with lab. That was possibly as good as it could get, he would have time to work alone with his laptop, as long as he did the work he'd get credit. Nothing told him that he had to do the work today though. He pulled himself up from his sitting position and made his way to the classroom. The only way it could be better is if he was in the class alone, unfortunately Kallen and Shirley were in that class with him. He groaned as he opened the door, he took his seat in the second row. His seat was directly in front of Shirley who sat in the third row. Kallen sat in the first row in the corner, a few desks away from Lelouch.

At least she won't be sitting next to me; hopefully I can get some work done. Lelouch looked up towards the clock as the tardy bell rang. The teacher had yet to be seen, which was odd because Lelouch knew for a fact that this particular teacher only taught in this room, they wouldn't have a reason to leave other than a restroom break. "Oh no." Lelouch already knew where this was going, his luck was very predictable.

"Greetings and salutations class." Reisdorph walked in with a mock tone. He looked around, noticing that many students weren't paying any attention to him at all. They were already consumed in their work. Lelouch let his face free fall into his desk. Reisdorph looked in the direction of the noise. "I see some familiar faces in here." He grinned sinisterly as he took attendance.

"What happened to Mr. Neely?" A student chimed in.

Who the hell cares? Lelouch thought to himself, it didn't matter what happened to the previous teacher either way he was stuck in yet another class with the sadistic professor.

"Mr. Neely…" Reisdorph seemed to choke up for a moment. The class was suddenly paying attention, had something happened to their old teacher? Perhaps he was caught in the disaster at Narita. "Was recruited as a computer technician into the..." The man let out a slight sob. "Britannian special forces!" He finished with a loud cry. The rest of the students looked on with shock and awe.

"What's so bad about that? Clearly it was something he chose to do." The inquisitive student prodded.

"That little weasel didn't deserve the position he got! He must have had someone pulling strings, I smell a conspiracy and I'm going to find it!" Reisdorph thrust his hand so vigorously into the air that he lost his grip on his clipboard and it stuck into the ceiling above his head. He looked up and then at the rest of the class. Seeing that the clipboard was out of his reach due to his short stature he simply acted as if it never happened.

A student in the back row raised his hand. Reisdorph was eager to change the subject so he quickly called on the young man. The student stood from his chair, "yes sir, I was simply wondering your thoughts on the plausibility of Britannia exchanging its 4th and 5th generation Knightmare frames for a stronger, more up to date model. Granted the cost would be great but with threats like the Black Knights on the rise, you can't put a cost on safety can you?"

The professor's eyes lit up with joy. "What a fantastic question! A+ for you. I'll throw up some figures on the board so that we can go over them and discuss the pros and cons of newer Knightmare frame models." With that the professor whirled around and scribbled like mad to throw out as many facts as he could. Hardly any of it was even legible. Lelouch looked back at the student who asked the question, he received a high five from his friend who sat adjacent to him. They leaned back and closed their eyes, apparently they had dealt with Reisdorph before.

Lelouch was surprised, perhaps this class wouldn't turn into a total waste after all. He opened up his laptop and started looking up the quickest way to meet with Taizo Kirihara later. Mid research an instant message popped up on his screen, it was over the school network so he couldn't simply log out. Lelouch gritted his teeth for a moment.

"Hey Lulu, I know something is up. Talk to me. :)" The message was from Kallen.

Shirley noticed that Lulu had received an instant message and watched as he simply closed the window. She couldn't quite see who the message was from but she knew the sender had to be in their class. That narrowed it down significantly. Shirley honed in on Kallen quickly and noticed that she still had an instant message open on her screen. That was strange Shirley thought to herself, was something the matter between Kallen and Lulu?

K: "You can't just ignore me Lelouch."

L: "Please just leave me alone."

K: "Was it something I said? : ( I'm sorry"

L: "No."

K: "Can I help?"

L: "No. I don't have time for this."

Shirley could see the frustration on Lelouch's face as he held his head in his palm. Another instant message popped up but neither she nor Lulu could read it as he closed his laptop. Shirley couldn't help but get a little excited, perhaps the happy couple wasn't so happy after all. She just may have a chance with her crush yet.

Lelouch packed up his things and made for the door. Reisdorph was completely absorbed in his chicken scratch, trying to write as small as he possibly could to make room for more figures and calculations. Without so much as a whisper Lelouch was gone, even most of the students were unaware, either sleeping or consumed in their newly acquired free time.

Kallen noticed though, with a tear in her eye she looked down to the last message she'd sent. Seemingly the message that made Lelouch get up and walk away; "It's okay, I understand. I love you :)" It was the first time that she'd said those words, not just to Lelouch but to anyone outside of her family. She wasn't even sure if she meant those words, they kind of just typed themselves. However, it didn't take a genius to realize that his response wasn't favorable. She lowered her head into her arms and sulked. Clearly she needed to rethink some things, this wasn't working.

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Lloyd was looking over the budget for the Lancelot repairs. Unfortunately he didn't have the funds to undergo such drastic repair work. In order to get the white knight up and running again, he was going to need a bit of a loan. He decided to make his plea with Cornelia, she was a soldier and she knew the value of the Lancelot on the battlefield. She was his best chance. Lloyd dialed her via video display, due to his position he got through rather quickly.

"What is it Earl Asplund?" Cornelia's tone was a bit rushed. It was obvious she had her schedule rather full.

"Good to see you Cornie, I will try to make this short. You see the Lancelot suffered quite a lot of damage in the last battle and I was wondering who I should send the invoice to." Lloyd said in an expecting tone, he found it was the only way to work with other nobles.

"Invoice?" Cornelia nearly snarled. "Does the special core not take care of their own these days? Should I also include a roll of toilet tissue? Or can you handle that on your own?"

"I'd be glad to keep my team on the project, but we seem to have run into a budget issue." Lloyd admitted sheepishly.

"To what extent?" Cornelia arched her brow.

"To the extent that we no longer have one." Lloyd laughed to himself.

"Actually we're in the red." Cecile chimed in holding up her latest culinary experiment. "A girl's gotta eat."

"Suppose putting our entire budget just on the parts may not have been our best move..." Lloyd digressed.

"You were so adamant about getting top of the line parts that you cut corners. You didn't even install an ejection block..." Cecile continued to ramble on.

"I'm fully aware of my mistakes. The data was just so promising, everything was running perfectly. Give or take a few mishaps obviously." Lloyd pressed on, trying to justify his actions.

"How does the data read now Earl Asplund? Still perfect? Because on the battlefield there are more variables to account for than your precious data. Perhaps you'd care to join us on the front lines? The data is much more appealing in first person, I assure you." Cornelia spoke with a condescending tone as was common in her arguments.

"Not my taste personally, I've devoted my mind to science so that I can change the world, rather than destroy it." Lloyd watched her reaction as her eyes narrowed. Realizing that arguing with the woman wasn't going to get him anywhere, he decided to take a different approach. "So am I to understand that you intend to battle that new red Knightmare without the Lancelot?"

Cornelia considered this for a moment. "I'll see what I can do." While she had intended to stall the Lancelot's repair, such an argument was sure to be taken over her head. She killed the transmission before Lloyd could get his last laugh in. Still she could probably buy Zero a few days, surely better than nothing.

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C.C. sat in Lelouch's room looking through one of his notebooks. She was told to stay in his room until he got back, but that didn't mean she had to stay out of his things. Unfortunately there wasn't much that she cared to read in the notebooks that she'd found. Mostly just schoolwork and random thoughts. She wanted to read something juicy, something that he hid from everyone else. It was obvious to her that the red head was clearly winning his heart at the moment, but it was far from over.

She heard Lelouch's voice in the main room, he was greeting his sister. C.C. panicked for a moment and tried to tidy up everything as best as she could before he came in. She looked pensively out the window as he entered his room.

Lelouch sighed, "I forgot, you're still in here." He made his way to his desk and sat down, setting up his laptop.

"Right where you left me. I'll have you know I'm not a dog, I humored you while you left for Narita. Don't expect me to sit and wait like a good girl again. I need to look after my investments." The gold eyed witch said bluntly.

"Great you too... I need to get some work done, try not to talk." Lelouch tried to clear his head. Why did it seem like everyone suddenly wanted something from him today? How did anyone expect him to keep his rebellion afloat with so many people trying to drag him down?

Without feelings to hurt, C.C. calmly analyzed what he said. Clearly she wasn't his problem, he was upset when he came in. It seemed that he simply came here to get some peace and quiet. She couldn't know for sure, but she could speculate as to who it was at the heart of the matter. Regardless of who he was upset with she knew how to relieve stress, and she didn't need to talk.

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Suzaku was still unconscious in a rather pristine hospital bed. No one by his side, but his own merits were far from worthy to land him in such great care. His injuries were serious but not critical, he had burns on nearly 30% of his body. They didn't look too bad but the sheer number of burns made him at risk for infection. A nurse came in to check his vitals, they seemed fairly normal. They readings matched the previous notes so he was stabilizing, now he simply needed to wake up. The nurse initialed some paperwork and left returned the vitals sheet. Upon leaving she gave the okay for Euphemia to enter. While her sister told her it was foolish to take such care of a soldier she hardly knew, it was simply in her nature to care. Every life was precious to her, and not only that but Suzaku still owed her a night of fresh air. Luckily she didn't have many duties to see to at the moment, which wasn't terribly rare. If anything she usually just had to give her initials or signature to some paperwork that she didn't fully understand. Of course she trusted those closest to her not to sneak things under her nose but even if they did, Cornelia would catch it sooner or later, over turn Euphemia's signature with her own and continue normally. Euphie felt like a figure head, but she needed to be more than that. She needed to make a difference in the world, like so many other people in the world. Her situation was slightly different however, most other people knew that if they only had they had the chance, they could make that change they dreamt of. Euphie on the other hand had all the chances in the world...

But it would be different with the Lancelot pilot. She could make a difference for him, just as she felt he could make a difference for her.

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Kallen's phone went off during her walk home. For a moment she was hopeful, pulling her phone out only to realize that it was Ohgi. She furrowed her brows and flipped open her phone. "Hello?"

"Kallen, have you been able to get a hold of Zero? He's not responding to our calls. We weren't told where the new headquarters is yet."

"I've been trying to get through to him all day too." Kallen sighed. What was Lelouch thinking? She couldn't let him just slip off though. The Black Knights needed him, and although it was difficult to admit, she needed him too. If nothing else she needed answers, he couldn't expect to just brush her off entirely. She deserved an explanation at least. "Don't worry about it Ohgi, just get everyone together at the meeting point we'll be there as soon as we can." She hung up and turned around, heading back towards school. She would drag Zero out if she had to.

Kallen moved with determination until she reached school grounds and was yet again forced to act feeble and weak. Sometimes she envied Lelouch, at least he didn't have to act feeble, it's just who he was. She reached the door to his wing and knocked before checking the knob, it was locked as usual. After a moment Sayoko answered the door, opening it only slightly until she realized it was Kallen. With a bow she let the red head in and returned to her duties. Kallen moved straight for Lelouch's room his door wasn't locked and she barged right in, they were late enough as it was. Kallen blinked a few times and caught a playful grin from C.C., Lelouch looked up to see a rather pissed off looking Kallen with daggers in her eyes. "I'll be outside. We gotta go. Now." She shut the door and leaned with her back against the wall. It would seem that her words did indeed carry the weight she intended as Lelouch was outside with his duffle bag in mere moments. Kallen didn't bother to speak, she just started walking leaving Lelouch to trail behind her. She kept a quick pace and soon they were outside the school gates. Something was wrong, against her better judgment Kallen turned around to see that C.C. was close behind Lelouch. "She's coming as well?"

"I'll be staying at the new headquarters, you'll be seeing a lot more of me from here on out." C.C. responded with a catty tone.

"Not much more of you left to see." Kallen jabbed back. That one felt good, oh how she wanted to rub that witch's face into a brick.

"No need to get upset. You trust your boyfriend don't you?" The green haired woman asked innocently.

"Enough. We're late enough as it is, it's nearly three and we have a lot to do." Zero responded. While he was still dressed as Lelouch his voice was entirely different now.

It made Kallen feel ever so slightly better that he told C.C. off and not her. She was far from happy but that would have to wait, if not until they finished their current business, then at least until they were alone. Once they arrived at the large vehicle hidden beneath a series of tarps Lelouch stepped inside and got changed. Kallen was intent to stay outside and wait for him but C.C. walked in rather nonchalantly. Kallen was on her heels after she stepped into the decent sized trailer. Was this the new headquarters? It seemed fairly luxurious although slightly cramped. C.C. calmly sat down next to the driver seat. Was she just playing with Kallen, keeping her on her toes? She repressed the urge to hit the witch in the back of her stupid head and made her way towards the back of the trailer. There were a total of five rooms but benches lined the entire vehicle it seemed like it could comfortably support about twenty people for a trip. Lelouch was still getting changed but he had no problem with Kallen entering his new office. There was a round table with four chairs bolted into the ground around it on the right side of the room. On the left was a large cabinet that seemed to hold important files. In the back of the room was a small but expensive looking bed, next to the bed was a closet, likely for his zero costume. The room had a simple black and white theme but it looked nice. Kallen however wasn't concerned with the decor, she crossed her arms and tapped her fingers impatiently. "I can only assume you have some grand explanation for this." She waited and in a strange way hoped that his silver tongue could talk him out of this one.

"Rather simple really. I only just got all the details figured out for our trip to meat Kirihara." Zero responded, his guise becoming more complete by the moment.

"Just what does that explain exactly?" Kallen fumed.

"Why I'm late. Speaking of which, could you contact the others? They should be able to get here by the time we're ready, or should I say by the time I'm ready?" Zero chuckled to himself.

Kallen's jaw was clenched now just moments away from pummeling that look straight off his face. "What is that supposed to mean?" Zero nodded towards her attire as he finished getting dressed, only his helmet was in his hands. Kallen looked down and noticed she was still in her school uniform. "Shit!" She'd forgotten to stop at her house after getting Lelouch.

Zero shook his head casually. "Don't worry, I have spare uniforms. I even had a one set aside just for you, it's in the closet." He motioned towards the back corner of his room/office. "You'll be sharing this room as well so make yourself comfortable."

Kallen was shocked, was he incredibly dense or was he trying to make up for being an ass earlier? "Wait, share this room?" She eyed the small bed nervously, she may have slept with him nearby that night in her tent but that was different from sharing a bed.

"Being my second in command it only makes sense that you would stay in this room for our missions. Strategy is best developed in solitude." Zero concluded trying to make his way past Kallen.

"But the bed-" Kallen cut herself off, not entirely sure what else to say.

Zero looked back and let out a quick laugh. "I doubt we'll have any missions that keep us over night without any other options, but if it does happen the bed is yours. Now if you'll excuse me." Zero continued on his way out. "Don't worry about contacting the others I'll take care of that."

Kallen was completely confused, just what the hell was going on now? It was eating away at her but she couldn't stop everything and have Lelouch just talk everything out. Still he seemed better now, "wonder if C.C. had anything to do with that..." She groaned, "Ah stop it Kallen, you're doing this to yourself." She reached back into the closet and grabbed her new uniform. She began getting undressed as she wondered how Lelouch had figured out her measurements. She began to pull her shorts up her long toned legs as the door burst open. In a panic Kallen fell backwards with a shriek and tried her best to cover herself. Once she realized it was Zero she felt slightly better, he'd seen her in her underwear before at least.

Still wearing impractical underwear Lelouch thought to himself with a smirk. "Sorry, I realized as I was about to call Ohgi that my phone is dead. Wasn't paying attention earlier with all the planning. Could I use your phone?"

Kallen huffed and pulled her shorts the rest of the way on. Keeping her bra covered with her left arm she reached down and got her phone out of her pockets and tossed it to him. He caught it and turned around walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him. She pulled on her top and did all the buttons, for some reason this uniform seemed to fit her better. It was snug without being restricting. She looked at herself in the mirror in Lelouch's closet, of course he would have a mirror in his closet she laughed to herself. Once she was satisfied she walked towards the front of the vehicle.

"Alright the others are on their way. Now I need to contact Cornelia, if possible we'll pick up Jeremiah on the way." Zero looked over at his shoulder holding Kallen's phone, she nodded in approval.

"Are you sure you want him on our side? I mean do you think we can trust him?" Kallen asked.

"He held his own against you so yes he'll be valuable. As for trust we definitely can't, but geass is a wonderful thing." Zero walked towards the back of the trailer again.

"You say that now." C.C. finally spoke up from her position. Kallen was about to question her when she noticed the Black Knights were approaching. She opened the door for them to file in.

"Who's this broad?" Tamaki asked in reference to C.C.

"I'm Zero's..." C.C. paused for a moment. "Mistress."

"What?" Kallen interjected. "That's not true she's like his.. his body guard." Just when she'd finally calmed down she had to go and spread her lies.

Tamaki laughed as he worked his way farther into the trailer. "Yeah right Kallen like I'm going to believe that. You're his body guard. Whatever it's fine with me, long as she doesn't get in my way." He walked around like he owned the place.

Kallen let out a deep sigh. Why did being Zero's personal body guard suddenly sound so.. unfulfilling? She walked back to check on Zero and to make sure no one walked in on him before he was finished with Cornelia. She pressed her way past the other Black Knights as they took in the new headquarters. She opened the back door slightly and slipped in. Zero was holding his mask over his face until he realized it was Kallen.

"You understand that I'll need to keep up certain quotas on my end to ensure we don't rouse suspicion?" Cornelia asked. "I'm doing what I can with the Lancelot but the better I look the more I'll be able to help you."

"Just tell me what you need, I'll figure out how to make it work." Zero responded, drawing his finger over the seams of his helmet.

"I'll need Black Knights to capture and make an example of, preferably execute. I assume it goes without saying that I'll need to be involved in every large scale battle you take part in. We can arrange the details when we come to that though. It would be best to try and keep yourself under the radar though, if you show too much growth they will most likely send Schneizel to Area 11, and neither of us wants that."

"That sounds fine. I'll work out the details and get in contact with you soon. As for Jeremiah, I would prefer to take him into my custody as soon as possible." Zero responded rather casually considering he would have to offer up his soldiers as meat for the beast he intended to tame.

"I can release him right now. After I knew your interest in him I had him released from interrogation and held in detainment. I can send a small escort out with him to a location of your choice. Kill the guards and take your prize. Since you're going to offer up some of your men, it's only fair that I return the favor." Cornelia spoke as a Siren, beautiful as she was, she was undoubtedly blood thirsty.

"Very well then, the Kururugi shrine. Have him there in an hour." After her agreement he hung up the phone and returned it to Kallen. "Thank you." He placed his mask over his head and went to exit the room with Kallen.

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Mao walked anxiously down the streets of Tokyo, with such a large population in his constant vicinity it made things difficult to separate. Still he had to carry on. He'd heard through a relatively long grapevine that a terrorist by the name of Zero was rumored to be immortal. The masked man had been shot in the head, only to stand, moments later, blood still dripping out of his mask. Normally he would question the credibility of such an act but after hearing it from so many minds he decided it would be worth investigating. That could be described as a perk for Mao, he never had to watch the news or worry about missing his favorite shows. He'd just spy into the minds of others and get all the information he needed. When dealing with a large group of people around him however, it became a difficult task to shut out the unnecessary information. This was precisely why he tended to live in more rural areas.

The biggest problem that he'd discovered was how notorious this Zero was. Everyone knew about him which made it slightly more difficult to track the masked terrorist. Still with the thoughts provided he was able to deduce that Zero was based out of the Tokyo settlement. All he had to do now was work his way around the city and endure all the screaming in his head. Eventually one of them would scream out that they work for Zero or better yet, that they are Zero. If they knew who C.C. was, then he would find what was most precious to them and take it from them. Blackmail had become a lifestyle for Mao, he knew the art well and utilized it often.

Mao had also discovered that if he closed his eyes while reading other's thoughts it resembled a cheap movie, choppy images flashing in front of him. From what he'd seen it was a strong possibility that if Zero wasn't his beloved C.C. then they were certainly close to her. Although he was prepared for the worst, if C.C. had by chance given her code away he would find a way to kill the one responsible and take her code for his own. He would hold onto that last sliver of her for all eternity. "Wait for me C.C. I'm coming for you."

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Jeremiah stood in hand cuffs with a soldier on each arm walking him to the base of the Kururugi shrine. They were ordered to deliver the traitor to a group of Bartley's men. All that Jeremiah could think about was this entity called the Red Lotus, he wasn't sure why but he idolized this person and he would not allow her to be harmed. His loyalty to her even shadowed that of the crown. By whatever means necessary he would ensure her secrecy and by that, her safety. If they were taking him to a new location merely to torture him more, so be it. He would gladly shed the last drop of blood in his body for the Red Lotus. Her voice echoed in his head constantly as if she was the world and he was her moon. Gravitated by some unknown force he couldn't separate himself from her, even if he wanted to. His eyes were closed and his head was bowed, he awaited his punishment honorably. He heard a struggle that caused the soldiers to pull on his arms but only for a moment. Curious, he opened his eyes to see the shrine in front of him but no one standing there.

"Jeremiah, I'm here to release you of your prison."

Jeremiah's eyes lit up, he knew that voice. He couldn't forget that voice. He turned around to see a red headed woman standing before him. He lowered himself to one knee and bowed his head. "I'm yours to command, Red Lotus."

"We have little time Jeremiah. We must move." Kallen drew her pistol and shot the cuffs that restrained him. They would remove them completely once they returned to head quarters. They moved quickly and rounded the corner where the rest of the Black Knights were waiting in the trailer. Jeremiah was given harsh looks upon entering the trailer.

"So is this guy our hostage or something? What the hell are we doing?" Tamaki questioned.

"No, Jeremiah is the newest member of the Black Knights." Kallen responded leading Jeremiah towards the back of the trailer.

"The Black Knights?" Jeremiah asked with surprise. He had no idea his goddess was a Black Knight. He was suddenly caught in a battle in his mind, one loyalty battling the other.

"So now we're off to Mount Fuji." Ohgi said from the driver's seat as he started up the engine.

Kallen and Jeremiah reached the backroom and entered Zero's office, locking the door behind them. Inside Zero sat at the table along with C.C.

"Zero!" Jeremiah exclaimed in a drawn out hatred. Before him stood the very enemy of the empire, the paramount of all he despised. He made a move to attack him but Kallen restrained him.

"I command you now, _obey Zero!_" Lelouch ordered with his demonic eye.

The power of geass invaded Jeremiah's mind. He could feel it trying to re-order his thoughts. "No.." Jeremiah growled in defiance. He fell to his knees with his hands clutching his head. "I won't!" The pressure in his head was incredible, like his head was in a vice. Blood trickled down his nose and out of his eyes. With a clenched fist he slammed the ground in front of him.

Lelouch had never seen anything like this, no one had ever resisted his geass in such a manner. "C.C. what is happening?"

"He's resisting." The witch stated plainly. Zero scoffed as if that was any help.

Jeremiah drew in deep breaths and brought himself to his feet. "You will not conquer me so easily." Jeremiah took a step towards Zero.

"Jeremiah, don't take another step towards him." She said it as a threat, her muscles tensing and her heart racing.

"Understood." Jeremiah submitted, he brought his feet together in a proper stance and turned to face Kallen. His face was bloody but she could see that he was definitely under her sway.

"Should I try again?" Zero asked in C.C.'s direction.

"I doubt it will have a different effect. If anything it'll probably just kill him." C.C. responded with a kind of awe in her voice.

It was unexpected, but she decided to play along. "You are not to harm him, or any of the other Black Knights. Understood?"

"Yes, my Queen." Jeremiah took a seat at the table. The tension in the room was borderline disturbing. For Lelouch to be put in such a situation and for it to resolve itself immediately. He was watching his every move, his hand on his pistol the whole time.

"Why didn't my geass work?" Zero asked to anyone in the room that could answer.

"Because your power is no match for my loyalty." Jeremiah responded.

Zero scoffed but decided to withhold his statement about Kallen's geass. "Anyone else wanna try?"

"I think he resisted yours to a point and his mind merely gave way to the geass that his mind didn't resist." C.C. stated. "It's hard to say, I may be immortal but I don't know everything. You both have different forms of geass, it seems her abilities are especially potent against targets that rely on those emotions."

"So you're saying that her geass is more potent than mine?" Zero asked like a kid about to throw a tantrum.

"No, I'm saying in this instance her geass was more effective. Your powers work in different ways. Hers are limited in ways that yours aren't, and yours are limited in ways that hers aren't. Perhaps you should accept that you aren't the best at everything and stop being such a child. Be thankful that your powers are permanent." C.C. spoke like a mother telling her children to eat her vegetables.

"Great, so you're saying that this guy will eventually turn on us?" Zero asked motioning towards Jeremiah.

"I will not turn my back on the Red Lotus, I am under no geass." Jeremiah said proudly.

Zero laughed. "Sure thing."

"Kallen's geass is based off of a sort of list. She can only hold five people under her geass at a time, each time she uses it on a new person the one active the longest falls off. So as long as she keeps that in mind you should be fine." C.C. clarified.

"Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with? As it stands I'm not willing to risk putting him on the front lines with us. Not until we have some sort of fail safe." Zero said, trying to figure a way to make it work.

"I already told you, that's not necessary! I would sooner die than turn on her." Jeremiah declared with determination.

"As great as that sounds I can't exactly hold you to your word. What am I going to say when you do turn on us? 'Hey, but you promised.' I still say we just kill him." Lelouch mocked the Britannian pure blood.

Kallen nodded in agreement, without some form of security how did they know this whole thing wasn't going to blow up in their faces? "Hey that's it. We could plant an explosive on him. You could hold onto the detonation switch Zero. That would work."

Beneath Zero's helmet the rims of his irises flashed with the command Kallen had given him at the refrain warehouse. He didn't know it, but he had to trust her. "It would have to be surgically implanted to ensure he wouldn't tamper with it. But that does solve my problems. The question is, is he willing to do it?"

"Did you know it's rude to talk to someone in the third person in front of them?" Jeremiah chuckled to himself. "As I said before my life is in her hands, if she wishes it, then I must comply."

All eyes moved to Kallen now, although she didn't like the idea of surgically implanting explosives in anyone, it did sound like the best option. "Please cooperate Jeremiah." He nodded in response without hesitation.

"We'll have to get him into surgery as soon as we get back, until then we'll lock him in one of the other rooms and post guards." Zero ordered.

"I'll take him." Kallen said as she stood up. Not that they had much of a choice, he could only be trusted in the company of Kallen anyway. At least, for the time being. Jeremiah stood after her and followed her out of the room. The Black Knights turned to see what was the cause of all the commotion but the Britannian soldier seemed complacent he walked behind Kallen without a single hint of anger. Kallen opened the door to the next room and led Jeremiah in.

"I'm sorry for this. I know things don't look so good now, but don't worry they'll all come around." Kallen gave him a sincere smile.

"You needn't worry about me. I will endure." Jeremiah sat with his back to the wall and folded his arms.

Kallen half smiled and shut the door. She wasn't sure where her geass ended and where the real Jeremiah began but he seemed rather genuine. She wanted to believe him, but she knew all too well the deceit of geass, it always seemed genuine. She locked the door behind her and grabbed the two nearest Black Knights. "I need you to keep an eye on this door. Don't let him out and don't let anyone in except for Zero or myself, understood?" They nodded dutifully in response. "Good." She walked back into the command room. "I think we're almost there."

"I figured as much. That took a lot more time than expected. He better be worth it." Zero sighed as he sat up from his chair to walk towards the front of the vehicle. He noticed how it was rather cramped inside with the troops he'd brought along, thankfully this was only the mobile headquarters. No one had seen the stationary one yet. Cornelia proved useful in more ways than one. The largest hotel in the Tokyo settlement now belonged to the Black Knights. Able to house well over a thousand people, it was a necessity for the growth he had planned.

When they arrived Zero split everyone into two teams, a small team to go in with him and Kallen and the bulk of them were to remain and guard their new head quarters. The ones that were chosen to stay grumbled but did as they were told. They didn't like the idea of going on such a road trip just to 'wait in the car' but Zero wasn't about to leave their mobile headquarters unguarded.

Taizo's men were expecting them and they were shown in quickly. The room was large and open with a bare floor, opposite the entrance sat one of the leaders of the six houses of Kyoto. "I appreciate you having us here Kirihara." Zero greeted the elder man who sat cross-legged behind a shaded curtain. Not that it mattered, Lelouch knew the man from his childhood. The two Black Knights and Kallen bowed in a gesture of kindness.

"And yet you disgrace me by hiding your face in my presence." Taizo said with a grim determination.

"Just as you hide your face from me, old man." Zero retorted.

"Yes, but you see, I'm the one with something to bargain. I will not offer the support of the Houses of Kyoto without knowing it's in good hands." Taizo countered impatiently.

"Fine." Zero turned to his comrades. "Turn around. Kallen I leave it to you to ensure they remain put." The Black Knights let out a slight groan but did as they were told, they wanted to know who their leader was too. After the three of them were turned around Lelouch removed his mask with a slight hiss. He approached the elder man slowly with his mask in his hands. "I've held up my end of the bargain."

"Interesting that it's you. Do you think you can take this all the way to the end?" Taizo asked, recognizing Lelouch from years past.

"I will do whatever it takes, I've already lost claim to my soul. There is no going back for me." Lelouch answered with a heavy tone.

"Very well." The old man nodded. "I can assure you that this man is trustworthy. But it is imperative that his identity be kept secret for the time being." The old man spoke up so the others could hear him clearly.

"I appreciate that." Lelouch said before placing his helmet back over his face, securing it with a series of clicks.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

They arrived home late and everyone went their separate ways. Lelouch got into his room and he wanted to simply sleep, as he shut his door his phone rang. He let out a slight moan but pulled it out. To his surprise it was Shirley. Why would she be calling me this late? "Hello?"

"Lulu..." Her voice was quiet and frail.

"Shirley?" Lelouch asked, unsure if he was just having trouble hearing her.

"Can.. Can I meet you somewhere? I really need to talk to someone right now." Her voice was beginning to tremble.

"Sure, can we meet up tomorrow? It's kinda late." Lelouch heard and understood her tone but Shirley often made things out to be bigger than they really were.

"Please Lulu!.. Please..." Shirley sounded desperate and then defeated. Lelouch was starting to get worried, this sounded rather serious.

"Okay, where would you like to meet?" Lelouch caved, opening his door to walk right back out.

"Anywhere.." She seemed to be at her breaking point.

"You just stay there, I'll come to you. I'll be there as soon as I can." Lelouch reassured her. He rushed to her place as quick as he could.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kallen was getting ready for bed when she suddenly remembered that she still had some things she needed to discuss with Lelouch. He still had a lot of explaining to do. She could wait until tomorrow but he would probably just make her wait some more. No, she would talk to him tonight. She clicked off her light and went back out into the crisp night air.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When Lelouch arrived at Shirley's he found her outside sitting on her porch with her knees hugged to her chest. "Shirley? What are you doing out here?"

"My father.. I just found out m-my father.." Shirley broke into tears. "He was killed at Narita."

Lelouch was stunned he knew all too well what she was talking about. That had been his fault; he knew the town would suffer damage, that was no accident. But it had to be done to ensure his victory... "Shirley I-I don't know.. what to say. I-I'm sorry." He struggled to form the words.

Shirley threw herself into his arms and embraced him for dear life. Lelouch went to hug her back but before he knew it her lips were smashed against his. At that moment he could only think about Shirley and what he'd put her through.

A figure watched from the shadows for a moment before turning around and walking away, there was no more they needed to see.

**A/N: **This is the first chapter that took me more than one night to write out.. Not sure if that's good or bad but I hope you enjoyed it just the same =) If you've got a moment I would treasure a review from you.

Hmmm for some reason this chapter isn't getting much feedback, perhaps you could tell me what you think is wrong or missing? Everything helps so please let me know what you think, it gives me direction and motivation. So please take a moment and drop a line, as simple as it sounds it really is important.


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